A list of things that will help:

Random orbit sander. I use a 5" Ryobi one that vacuums some of the dust it made. It is quite nice to have the dust when it comes time to mix the thickened epoxy fillets. It's certainly not a Fein, but it works.

A low-angle block plane. I use a low-angle Anant Kamal 60-1/2 plane. It's cheap, and pretty good after grinding the shoe flat. It works fine for what you'll use it on the boat for (beveling the edges of the plywood panels). The blade isn't the best, and I guess you could get a good blade like a Hock to remedy it. I just sharpen mine lightly and often. Expect to do the same, because the plywood endgrain will dull the blade fast. There are much better planes available from Lie-Nelson and Clinton and the like, but they are priced appropriately. The Anant low angle is MUCH nicer than my modern Stanley plane, and it is cheaper.

A rasp. I use a shinto rasp just because it's user-friendly, and I can't afford a nice 4-in-1 rasp right now.

If you are planning on building multiple stitch and glue boats, you might want safety wire pliers. I had trouble finding them locally. I eventually ordered them through a motorcycle shop. If there's a racing shop or an ATV shop or something near you, you could try checking there. Basically, these pliers make twisting the wire much easier, but make sure that you face the ends of the wires in a direction that makes them easy to twist.

I don't know if the holes will be pre-drilled in the panel...if not, you're going to want a drill. I would get one of the little round saw bits too, because I make wooden washers out of the leftover forms (I like raised decklines and don't mind harware sticking up off the deck...the washers let me use t-nuts underneath the deck, and t-nuts are easy to get in stainless steel). Also, if you plan on installing grabloops, it's easiest to drill the holes for them with a 1/2" countersink bit.

If you run out of wire and are planning on building a second boat, I suggest ordering wire through The Ring Lord (theringlord.com). You can get hard-tempered wire (copper is as hard a metal as I'd go...the others might be too brittle, but I'm not sure there...galvanized steel would probably work too) relatively cheap there (I think 18 ga copper wire costs around $10 for 144 ft).

If you're going to be cutting holes for hatches...there are two paths you could take. You could either use a jigsaw blade held by vicegrips (that will give you some control, but takes a bit of practice to figure out), or get a power jigsaw. Mine is a Bosch, and is the only inexpensive jigsaw I've used that I thought was worthwhile. Whichever path you choose, use a thin-kerf, fine toothed blade and draw out some curved and straight lines on some scrap wood (to cut along, for practice) before you touch your boat with the jigsaw.

If money isn't an obstacle, you could certainly get better tools than I listed above.

I'm certain I'm forgetting some tools. I hope someone else will list them.

Expect to spend more than the 60 hours Pygmy claims it takes to build one of their boats, especially if you plan on doing inlays or marquetry. Patience pays off in boat-building.

As far as the best way to do either one for a first-timer...I'd have to say that which one I did would depend on where I wanted to put the design. It the entire design will be on the same panel, I'd do an inlay. If the design will span across more than one panel (for instance, a compass rose in the center of the deck), I'd do marquetry. You can get all kinds of onlay kits, so onlays are definitely the quicker option. Neither one will affect epoxy and fiberglassing, but they have to be done at the right point in the project. I'll give a more in-depth explanation later today.

Good luck on your Pygmy. I'm too big for the Tern 14, and envy how easy it would be to transport a 14' kayak.

-David W.

: Hi, well hopefully by this weekend I will be able to start building my first
: wooden kayak a pygmy tern 14. I just have a few questions. Before it gets
: here. I have a very limited amount wood working experience and very few
: tools. So thats my first question, what tools,best type of eletric sanders
: and ect. That will make the job easier, and be something I will need in
: future builds that I might not think about having? What would be the best
: way to inlay or onlay a kayak for a novice. And does onlaying or inlaying
: effect fiber glassingand epoxy. And any other tips that you think a first
: timer might need to know. Also do you need a special program to view the
: pictures on this forum? Well thats about it for now I'm sure I will have a
: ton of questions in the next few months. Thanks for any info.