Have fun. I have enjoyed this as much as anything in many years. though I will say that unless you are able to devote much full time work it will take you a lot longer to do everything than you think it will. there just isnt a way to make the multiple coats of epoxy, paint and varnish go much faster, not to mention the sanding, the sanding and the sanding. Every time it looks great you have to mess it up again with sanding, just to do it all over again. I started in November and will be lucky to be in the water by July, though I had to contend with a northern winter and no heated workspace.)

I found that it was a good plan to have all the smaller stuff on the agenda right from the begining  so you could do those when the bigger stuff was ruled out (by the weather for instance). There are a ton of small things that need to be done, make an inventory of all those projects and do a little of it over time and not just at the end. working on thwarts, tapering masts and spars, building and fairing rudder and daggerboard, etc.

One of the most satisfying things I have done, but far more work than is billed up front. after you have a hull that looks like a boat, you are not even a third the way done. But that is the fun, will be sad when it is over, will have to build another one.

BTW, this forum is a great resource, some of the people on this are really expert at what they are doing and can set your mind at ease.

David

   David, I also started in November and similarly had to wait out the Winter in order to do the heavy duty finishing.  Fortunately I'm a member of a local woodworker's club and could do all the small stuff in a good shop.  Weather is a big factor now in getting the hull coats on.  One very unexpected hinderance has been the setting time of epoxy.  I made the mistake (while glueing up the flotation planks) of mixing up the epoxy in 80 degree heat.  The whole thing set up so fast I couldn't glue up a single plank.  So now I limit my epoxying to the very early hours when the temperatures are less than 70 degrees.  That doesn't give you much time to do the hull in the DC area now, so my plans for getting the boat on the water in June are fast receding.  

   If you keep your epoxy cool and only mix up 3 ounces at a time, it's no problem gluing in 80 degree weather. Store the epoxy indoors and/or sit it on an ice bath to extend the work time.

Have fun,

Laszlo