Hello. I am new to this group and to boat building in general. I have
read through some of the previous postings on this site to try to
gather some information. I have learned a few things, but would like
some advice as to which type of boat to build and with which
construction methods.

The boat I would like to make will be for day-trips only, so a large
cabin is not necessary. It might be handy at times, but it will not
have much influence in my decision. I will be using this boat for
water-skiing, and just enjoying the water in the summer. It should be
able to carry at least four or five people, but it does not need to
have sleeping provisions. It would be used in salt water. For
waterskiing, it would be used in fairly calm waters, but I would
occasionally want to take it out into the ocean (going more slowly).

I do not plan on putting a sail on this boat at all (maybe that will
be my second boat). Unless I come into some serious money unexpectedly
to buy a boat with an inboard motor, it should be powered by an
outboard motor between 40 and 100 HP. I've just gotten those numbers
from a friend. I'd like to be able to cruise at 40 - 50 MPH without
worrying about wearing a helmet and mouth guard.

I am trying to make up my mind on which specific type of boat to use
and hoped I could get some help from experienced builders out there.
I've heard of the plywood sheet boats, the traditional board type, and
fiberglass hulls. The plywood stich-and-glue sounds easiest, but I'm
wondering if there are performance compromises. The board type sounds
significantly harder if I have to build a steam box and perfect the
art of board bending. But it also sounds a bit more elegant.
Fiberglass sounds like it is stronger and requires less maintenance,
but might take a lot of practice and failures. Not that I can't deal
with that, but I want to be realistic.

So once I choose what I want to make my boat out of, I am trying to
decide on the shape. For speed, do I want a deep-V, moderate-V, flat,
etc? This boat will never be in lake-calm waters, keep in mind. It
will always be in salt water, with at least small to moderate waves.
So I don't want it pounding my teeth every time it bounces on a wave.
What type of design is best for these conditions?

And finally, could any veterans recommend some plans to purchase or
use? Size isn't so important as long as I can fit 4 or 5 people. If a
bigger boat can still work up speed, that's ok, but nothing huge. I
want it to be able to turn sharply and be manuverable, so probably not
a whole lot more than 15 feet. Also, it should be something that can
be car-town, so I don't have to worry about docking fees. I realize I
could probably buy a Whaler or something for my purposes, but I'd
enjoy building a boat. My budget isn't too tight, so don't exclude
anything too quickly for that reason. I'm somewhat skilled with
woodworking in general, and have most tools that I can imagine
needing.

Finally, I have made a reading list from some other posts here. Feel
free to add:
Sam Devlin's Boatbuilding
Build the NEW Instant Boats
Michalak's Boatbuilding for Beginners and Beyond