: I recently finished a expedition single strip built kayak and am interested
: in trying a skin on frame.What is the average cost to build,hours to
: build,pros and cons,plans? I really know very little about them except
: they look light. My wife says I should build her one.

I'll speak about my non-traditional (Yost) SOF experience. I've built a few and am about to finish another. The wooden framed, non-folding versions go together in just a couple of weeks, for about $175 in material ($80 for wood, $55 skin, $40 misc). Of course, material costs depend on their availability in your area. They are pretty common here in western Washington State.

I've got some practice, so building takes less time, but with the "Kidarka" I'm building now, the frame took 4 days of futzing around to complete. I'll skin it today, and paint it over the weekend. So, basically a week for this 11' boat. It has cost me a total of $36 so far, but I had some left over plywood scraps for the frames and I had everything else (except the skin and wood) just lying around the shop. George Dyson gave me a good deal on the skin, btw, as it was a remnant.

A traditional frame is not necessarily any stronger, lighter or better than a non-traditional frame. It does take longer to construct, and is much more complex.

Skin boats are great, btw, and the best bang for your buck. There are many designs and they all handle differently. If you have a specific design in mind perhaps we can give more specific feedback. I do recommend the Sea Rider or Sea Rover designs, by Tom Yost, for smaller, somewhat athletic, paddlers. And, I agree with your wife - you should build her one!

Have fun!
Dave