I built my retrieval (skin on frame) for about $250, but I purchased most of the materials at retail. An interesting way of looking at it is that it cost about $25/ft. Seems like you can build a stripper or S&G for less cost per foot.

I'm working on a new kayak that should be completed for less than $50 ($3.13 per foot!). Most of the materials are scrap or salvaged/found, including the fabric. Only thing purchased so far is glue and skin coating. Probably could have scrounged for those items as well, but had to draw the line somewhere. Or course, this route is a lot more work - one example is that I couldn't find any long pieces of wood for gunwales, keelson, and chines, so I resawed a 5' long piece of 6x6 and now I'm in the process of scarfing lots of short bits into the necessary legths. If you add the "cost" of labor, then its probably on par with any composite production kayak (but isn't that the case with all home built kayaks?)

: whats the cheapest hull you have built?
: and i dont mean things like a quick frame in saran wrap or a 6 hours canoe