lee, you've made a strong argument that there is no argument... but two of the most frequent questions we're being asked about our trip is, "why build? and why wood?" i like to have facts, points, beta, so forth to back up my decision, and i know it can be said that ANY material has advantages over others, but i'm looking to build a case for the boats we're building. my primary reason for building our boats is that i'm a woodworker, (although the ads say over and over you don't need that skill) and my dream has always been to build boats. but i'm also a tech weenie and love a good "debate", or argument, and i like to have a lot of beta to back up my claims. couple more days and our expedition website will be up and running. i'd love for you to check out the plan. take care, brandon