Hi folks,

Id been pretty well set on getting a Chesepeake 17 kit at about 700 dollars. After adding up my upcoming exspenses for expanding a new business it looks like the 700 is going to be a bit steep. Can anyone tell me how much Id save [if at all] by forgetting about the Ches.17 and buying a plan of the Guillemot Coastal and milling my own wood?

Tho Ive never built a Kayak I AM comfortable with woodworking and enjoy it quite a bit. I am a perfectionist by nature.

That said I have a number of questions I was hoping you could all help me out with...

How many hours does a Guill. Coastal take to complete approximately. {Ive got allllll winter}

I want to mill my own strips to save cost. Where do I get the strips? Is there a milling machine to shape them properly? Or do i sand by hand? Do I just buy big sheets of wood and cut it with a table saw?

My two woods of choice are mahogany and yellow cedar. What are the more economical woods?

What hand tools might I need to purchase.

How in heck do you remove all the 2X4's and forms after your kayak is complete?

The actual wood building would be done in a room thats nearly ALWAYS 40 degrees farenheit in the winter. Sometimes down to 32 degrees. Id NEVER epoxy in that temp, but can I still do the woodworking in that cold? Again, Im fully aware of the temps needed for proper epoxy curing.

Lastly, even if the cost is similar to the CLC 17, the fact that i could do it a piece at a time is a big bonus as opppsed to fronting the full 700 in one shot.

Thanks folks,

I look forward to your responses.

Peter