Hi, I've been kayaking for a couple of years now, mostly in plastic touring boats. I'd like a longer, more performance-oriented boat than what I've been paddling (14-15' plastic boats). Fiberglass or composite boats are out of my price range, and I'd like something that'll last longer than plastic (and that doesn't look like tupperware).

I've been slobbering over the Pygmy catalog and website, and I think I'd like to try my hand at building a wooden boat. They're beautiful, and the Pygmy boats seem to get great performance reviews, too. I like to make my own stuff (I tie all my own flies, and I've built some flyrods, too), but I have very little woodworking experience.

My primary questions are:

In addition to something like Pygmy's Full Kit, what other tools and supplies do I really need to build a stitch and glue boat from a kit? About how much more money over the price of the kit am I likely to have to spend?

How much room do I really need to build a kit kayak? Would a 10X20' room give me enough space to build a 17' kayak?

Is is REALLY as easy as Pygmy and CLC's promotional literature says it is?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated as well!

Thanks,

Steven Jarvis sjarvis@dicksonstreet.com Fayetteville, Arkansas USA