I concur that it is pricy. At this price only really suitable when weight is an important issue. It's is particularly galling because the stuff is a rapidly proliferating invasive species. Hopefully, this will transform paulownia into an inexpensive material in a few years rather than an unwanted pest. At any rate just this morning I put a sealer coat of epoxy on it and it is a good looking material. Light brown and grainy rather than the yellow of northern white cedar.

Of course the final measure of how light it is will depend on the weight of the completed kayak. I'll keep folks updated.