For ease and speed of build you can't beat the "6-hour canoe" and it's
variations. No - you can't build it in 6 hours though. It's a bit small
for 2 adults and a child though - I'm a fairly big guy (230lbs) and will
only go out in mine with a small child. Take a look on the internet for the
6-hour canoe book and also take a look at the "Cheap Canoe" plans free from
bateau.com - http://www.bateau2.com/free/cheapcanoe.htm Keep in mind that a
canoe big enough for 2 people will usually require 2 people to load it on
your car and move it around. There's a lot more weight and size to it. For
us, we have a "Cheap Canoe" variation and a "Mouse Boat"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mouseboats/ for river use.

If you are more ambitious and have lots of time and some good tools, or just
want to dream, I'd suggest Ted Moore's book CanoeCraft.

For kits there are a lot of major players and a kit will possibly get you
going faster. Do an internet search for canoe kits and you'll have lots of
choices.

--
Andrew Butchart



wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm an IT Consultant and am considering a new hobby to take up a little
bit of my time. I'm thinking about building a canoe. Am I better to
buy just the plans, or a whole kit with forms? I have about 5 hours a
week that I could honestly put into the work but would like to see some
results within a few months. If possible I'd like to have my 4 year
old daughter help a bit too. How big should I build to accommodate 2
adults and 1 child on an afternoon?

Thanks, Tim Macking MCSE CCNA MCDBA MCSA