My first wooden boat plans will be for a kayak. When it comes to boat building, I am an amateur. I'm an experienced builder but there are several unique techniques when it comes to building boats. I'd like to get comfortable with some of those techniques before building that large wooden sailboat and start sailing the Caribbean with it! The reason to start small is to learn the basic techniques of boat building and, to be honest, figure out if you like boat building. Some of the larger boats can 800 hours or more to build. A kayak only takes about 30-40 hours. It is still a significant investment in time. I always look at the time value of money. If I'm going to spend 40 hours on something (which sounds a lot like a work week), I'm going to want to enjoy it (or save money while doing it). With boat building, I think it's an opportunity to do both. Most of my wood working projects give me a chance to  get outside, use some power tools, listen to music and time to clear my mind. I really enjoy wood working. As for boating, one of my favorite things to do on the water is kayaking. I love ocean kayaking and riding the surf. It's just tremendous fun and a great way to get exercise! Take a look at a few of the options for kayak plans below:

Orca 17				Orca 21
LOA:	16' 11 5/8"	5.17m		LOA:	20' 9 1/2"	6.35m
Max. Beam:	23 5/8"	.6 m		Max. Beam:	30"	76cm
Displacement:	457 lbs	208 kg		Bare Hull Weight:	61 lbs	28 kg
Material:	Stitch & Glue			Material:	Stitch & Glue