Bill, excellent point and poetic.

When people ask me about my Great Auk I tell them, "I started with a board and a book." (Maybe Nick should charge more for a table of offsets than for plans.)

I think we all love figuring stuff out. Extra time is not expensive, it's more fun.
Why pay someone to have some of your fun?

The Maroske fittings would have been a real annoyance if I wasn't enjoying the puzzle so much. I think they're good, less is more, however there's very little to show for.
But a kayak I've made, ready launch into the dark and fog? Now that's something.

: At the end of the process, when somebody asks you about the boat,
: you can say "I designed it, bought 1x8 lumber, cut away
: what did not look like a boat and then put it all
: together". Sounds better than "it is a kit".
: (8-))