I'd been thinking about building a sea kayak on and off for a few years, but never got round to starting. I never seemed to find the right design, and somehow wasn't confident enough I'd actually get started to make it seem worthwhile to send off for plans. However, on one of my occasions research sessions I came across the Point Bennett, and it seemed to be what I wanted.

• Stitch and glue, so materials readily available (good, light, know free wood such as Western Red Cedar is not avaiable from most local timber merchats in the UK)
• Designed for the correct bodyweight and size (I'm over 6' but relatively light for my height at 75kg / 11 stone 11 / 165lbs)
• Short enough to fit in my garage which was designed for a 1930's car and is less than 18' long.
• Good tracking.
• A pleasing shape, with upswept ends and raked bow and stern (raked bow but plumb stern as seen on some models didn't appeal).
• Availavl right there, and free!

So that was it, decision made - then wood purchased and construction started immediately. Serious lack of floor space in the garage slowed down the initial glueing of pieces into long scarfed panels, as I only has the space to do one at once. But by the second weekend I had pieces cut out and the hull bottom wired together - on the rih above - it's taking shape already! This aspect of stitch and glue is very satisfying - the hull shape starts to appear very early.

The photo above shows where and how I had to do the cutting out, due to lack of space indoors. It was all cut outside, on the floor with an electric jigsaw with timbers under the panels to raise them to blade height off the floor - they're visible under the left hand, deck, panel. Note the improvised knee pads: the floor is hard and cold!

Laying out the lines took a little while, but cutting was surprisingly quick and easy - if requiring serious concentration. Get the cut lines wrong and the whole kayak ends up the wrong shape. Go steadily.

I couldn't find any copper wire of the right guage in the local shops for stitching. Faced with a choice of buying electrical cable and stripping the insulation or going for steel wire, I went for steel wire, in the form of pre-cut plant ties. Sadly these were the wrong temper - springy rather than soft. A quick barbecue sorted that out: heated to red hot then allowed to cool left them nicely malleable.