: The s&g's are quicker and easier to build
: ether from plans or a kit but the skills required are less. I have
: pondered building kit boats with students and have conversed with other
: teachers about it and come up with the conclusion that have students just
: assemble a boat doesn't teach them enough.

I would propose that the amount of learning that comes from a project is directly proportional to the amount of desire to learn that accompanies it.
One could blindly assemble a stitch & glue kit-- and learn nothing more than how closely one must follow the directions in order to get it to come out right. Athough a stitch & glue kit is simpler & requires less woodworking skills than building from plans or doing a strip built boat.... there can still be enough learning to satisfy your graduation project's requirement... *if* you take the opportunity presented you.

For instance:

You will have the opportunity to learn 'applied chemistry' as you work with epoxy. System 3 has a great little publication called "The Epoxy Book" that explains the chemistry-- and what that means for real world uses. If you buy a kit from Pygmy, they'll throw in the book.... if you go a different route, I'd recommend ordering the $10 trial kit from System 3, which includes the book and a bit of resin & hardener & stuff to experiment with. If you like chemistry, playing with epoxy (wearing proper protection, of course) can be fun!

You will have the opportunity to plan a project start-to-finish... which involves organization, perseverance, and time management (in terms of matching the "down time" in the project --while waiting for epoxy to cure, etc-- with your schedule of other commitments.) If you want to delve into the realm of economics, you could keep track of your materials and labor to determine the real cost of building a boat-- etc. etc. If you have an underlying interest in business, this would be an interesting avenue to pursue.

If you keep a journal (and/or a website detailing your progress), you will have produced a rather large writing project!.... and may learn more about web page design, editing, composition, digital cameras, etc. etc. etc.

You can also use this as an opportunity to learn the principles of kayak design, discovering how the shape of the particular boat you build both determines how and where you will be using it.... so you can reflect on the differences between whitewater & sea kayaks, etc. etc...and delve into engineering with discussions of primary and secondary stability, etc...

And, no matter what you build, you can delve into the history of kayaking, the ways people continue to use kayaks, how hypothermia kills people and how to prevent it... etc. etc. etc.

So -- my real point is that you can learn quite a bit no matter *what* you build. The building project becomes a springboard into whatever related area interests you.... so if I were you, I'd base my decision about "which boat" based not upon "which one will teach me the most as I build it", but upon "which boat do I want to *have* when I'm done" Read the recommendations that people have, pick the boat you like the best and go for it!... figuring that your first boat will not be your last.....

--Julie Kanarr