First of all, thank you all. Wow! I will be posting to this group again;
hopefully with information for others from what I will be learning. I have
a lot to think about. By the way, I mentioned that my wife was not sold on
this idea; however, for Christmas she bought me a wood model sailboat kit.
I went a little "overboard" on the $2 kit with a photo journal of the
building and finishing process. Now in response to those involved in this
thread:

Tailgunner: I like the Dory idea too since I live in the town where one of
the designs were invented. I will be emailing you.

Chris: Thanks for the links. I have bookmarked the Intro to Wooden
Boatbuilding. I found that link to old boats before. Regarding your second
post ... I just don't think I will find an abandoned broken boat laying
around on the beach BUT...I'll keep my eyes peeled, stranger things have
happened.

Lew: I just can't slap down the money to buy a whole boat now. Even first
jobs are hard to come by in the tech industry these days and a 2nd job would
mean even less time with the kids. And I would rather not charge one
either. I am thinking that by building it, I get the joy of building as
part of the hobby. Plus I will be buying the boat a piece at a time and I
could even stop and restart as finances permit.

Curtis: I know you agree with Lew; however, your idea/potential offer is a
great in-between comprimise (buy/rent vs build vs barter). I will
definetely be emailing you. This could give me some experience before the
real building project is lauched.

Brian W: I agree.

Habbi: Clark Crafts looks to have a wide selection plus I can price compare
boat plan costs. Thanks.

Brian D.: I am seriously considering the Caravelle boat. Thanks for this
link.

Eric: I will check the rest of the Chesapeake Light Craft site. The pram
you mentioned does not look like it will hold 2 adults and two kids.

Donald: The shellboats.com site looks like it is catering to people like
me. I will continue to investigate there as well. Thanks.

William R Watt: I know I need to fix the budget. My wife is a very
pragmatic women and this is what she wants to see (after I repair a few
things around the house). I found the jonesboats.com site although I did
not take a good look at that Dobbler 16 until you posted. Also, looks like
you sell boat designs according to your website. I hope to see replies from
you again in my future posts here.

Andrew Butchart: I agree with you. I know that I will most likely be
taking me and my two kids on the boat often (as I alluded to in my first
post, "The best-laid plans o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley." -Robert Burns)
I can relate to your website. I know that I will need a few sailing
lessons. In terms of the sailing environment, I will probably stick to the
nearby harbor rather than sailing the high seas until I feel (and am deemed
by some authority) that I am a competent sailor. By the way, I am seriously
considering the Summer Breeze as well.

--Jim B.