Patrick wrote:

Your quite right of course I should just leave all the ply in a big pile
until I have enough for the hull at least. But everyone keeps asking me if I
have started my boat yet so I felt as though I should at least get a couple
of bits of wood together!

It seems to me that external pressure is the wrong reason to start building.
Build when it suits YOU, not anyone else. It's your money and labor at stake,
not theirs.

--
Regards

Brian