The cost is negligible compared to going down to the pub for a few drinks on a regular basis, or smoking forty cigs a day over the same period it will take you to build a boat, or both.

The boat project will keep you happily at home, out of harm's way, and your wife will know where you are at least.

If you buy the materials rather than the kit you will certainly save some money. Perhaps the best way to look at it is the expense difference between the raw materials and the full kit. Whatever the difference is, is the real cost of the boat, because you know you are going to do it anyway.

I recently had a kit of one of Nick's Petrels in my workshop, being finished off by a friend who had built it elsewhere, it looked like a very accurately cut set of parts. But it would not be that difficult to get the same accuracy yourself, and you have the added satisfaction and bragging rights of having done it yourself.

One of the possible benefits of the kit is that the suppliers will be getting all the materials at a better price than you will be able to, and they may be passing some of that on? One of the harder aspects of building for a first time, where I live anyway, is sourcing the materials.

If you want a boat that is going to definitely perform as expected you are definitely better off, as a first timer, building from plans of a well tested design.

If you have not paddled much, and have never built a kayak before, and you are determined to go in a novel direction, you are almost 100% guaraneed to end up with a lemon.

Buy the plans, or get the kit, and follow the directions to the T is my advice. That way your first boat, while it may not be perfect with a magnifying glass inspection, will still be more beautiful than anything you can buy off the shelf, and it will behave properly in the water.

You will learn so much from your first boat, and you will realise how very greatful you will be to me for taking my advise and doing the first one by the book.

You can thank me later.

Finally, may I suggest a hybrid... A plywood hull with a strip deck. That will give you a chance to try two different techniques and have the glory of a strip deck to look down on while you are paddling.

You can find a detailed photographic build log of a Hybrid Sheerwater on my website...

http://etiennemuller.com

Et