: Before you assure your wife and son that their kayaks will be ready
: to paddle when the weather warms up, could I ask, are you aware
: that most people take about 200 hours to complete a strip built
: kayak, including ripping strips and setting up forms on the
: strongback? People with very high standards take 300 to 400
: hours for one kayak.

: Depending on the construction method you use, there will be days
: when you can only do an hour or two on the kayak and have to
: wait, possible even overnight before you can start the next
: step. 200 hours may be the equivalent of 25 days or two and a
: half weeks, but normally it takes quite a bit longer than that.

I don't know that Alan was quite emphatic enough! Of the common methods, strip building is, by far, the most tedious, laborious, time consuming and messy way to build a mostly wooden kayak. Many people take over a year to build one - or never finish it.* Of course, some dedicated and experienced builders can do it in a month - but you should know what you are getting into!

That being said, strip boats - esp. some of those built by the talented folks here on the forum - are beautiful and useful works of art!

Have you looked at the other kayak building methods?

Good luck!
Dave Gentry

* Actually, I believe this statement holds true for a whole lot of first time small boat builders - no matter what, or how, they are building.