Hi J, Scott, 

j have built a lot of strip plank kayaks. 

the stanley low angle block plane (on sale now at CLC) is, in my view,  the 'gold standard' block plane required for building strip builds (see link below)

https://www.clcboats.com/shop/products/boat-building-supplies-epoxy-fiberglass-plywood/stanley-low-angle-block-plane-12-960.html  

you can get caught up with a lot of other specialized planes.  i have tried, from time to time, expanding beyond this tool, and inevitably come back to it while the others just collect dust.

so if this is your first build, and you want to be a builder vs a tool hound, start with this.   learn to play it like a fiddle....it can do almost everything you will need.

below is my award-winning petrel - and the stanley low angle block plane was the only plane involved.

h

and yes, invest in learning how to keep it sharp and how to adjust it....that helps a lot.

like any tool, there is a learning curve.....but investing in learning the tool is amazing payback.

nice thing is, scrap wood is cheap and easy fodder for learning how to use the plane before chewing up the nice stuff.

h

 If you are having problems planning it is usually a dull blade or you are not reading the grain and working with it.

A hint: going diagonally is a method that is beneficial often. 

   Having compared the new Stanley products to the old ones I think it's worth trolling for a vintage one. Stanley made approximately 6 bazillion over 100 years so they're everywhere and can be had for a price that's competitive with the new ones at much higher quality. Find one without active rust, spend an hour or two cleaning and sharpening and you'll be set. Here's a list that will summarize some of the most common: http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan9.htm Many people make sharpening more complicated than it needs to be. Do yourself a favor and look up "Sharpen This" by Christopher Schwartz. It will be enough information to get you going but not so much you'll be overwhelmed. That's what I'd do in your shoes. Your block plane will quickly become the tool you keep closest at hand.

   Thanks so much guys.  Just what I needed to know.  
That Petral is a work of art!

   The Stanley 60-1/2 low-angle block plane is the only one I've owned (I bought it to build a kayak), but my experience with it has been good aside from one failure/issue that seems to be a major design flaw. Specifically, the brass thumb screw that holds the blade and cap on started coming out every 5 minutes or so - evidently due to the threads getting stripped. It was a nightmare to use the plane when the thumbscrew was failing but still usable. One day I finally couldn't get the thumbscrew to stay in at all and ended up throwing it into my grass in frustration (never to be found). I replaced that awful thumbscrew (which many people complain about in reviews and forums) with a 1" socket set screw and a wing nut that is WAY easier to loosen/tighten for blade adjustment. The threads are 10-24. I put a washer and an aluminum spacer (1/4") between the cap and the wingnut. For about $1.50 in off-the shelf fasteners from my local lumberyard, I made the plane usable again (and much easier to use to boot).

To be more clear about the complaints I've seen from others about the 60-1/2, the complaints are directed at failure of the thumbscrew due to stripping of the threads rather than simply the inconvenience of accessing/using the thumbscrew in the first place.