I'm going to be going off just the plans in order to keep the cost down. I found some cedar around me but it looks like it's going to have knots. The only place I found that has clear is almost $9/bft. I'm going to keep looking but I also have found some folks on craigslist that have poplar and spruce. Doesn't have the color of cedar, but I can get it for $2/bft rough sawn.

I think at this point, I might lean more towards building the Spring Run. For a novice paddler and intermediate woodworker, this might be my best shot. When I get better, I might opt for building something for the sole purposes of going fast however I would hate to take months to build something only to be frustrated the minute I put it in the water.

BTW, if anyone has a good source of clear cedar, I'm all ears.