speaking of craigslist, have you seen this guy?
the monk who builds SOFs
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/boa/239125839.html
in Portland OR
He sold a boat on ebay recently.
They look like nice boats.
Looks nice, but
Peter Strand would build one for about $1200 last time I asked.
http://qajaqsofpeters.com/index.htm
Cool!
Sounds amazingly cheap for hand built!
Price
$1200 may be a bargain, but Pete’s crazy IMO. I wouldn’t do SOF for twice that (but I also build differently, with different materials).
All SOF are not the same (and shouldn’t be). Not a commodity - and I wouldn’t rate/select by price alone. Value/quality and matching qajaq to user/use is what matters. Different for everyone.
Peter is not crazy
Allowed me a non builder to develop lots of rolls and immerse myself that much more in greenland tradition and culture for a reasonable (comparably speaking) price.
paul
Unfortunately…
once you put it out there for sale, it’s a “commodity” where “worth” is subjected as much to “market demand” as much as to the builder’s expertise.
FWIW, a custom waveski is about $1200, higher with color and graphics. Worth every penny if one is into it. Ditto for SOFs (except of course I can build my own, while a waveski requires equipment and building environment I don’t have).
sing
plus … it’s monk-built
That’s got to add a certain caché, a certain intangible je’n-sais-qua for some.
I visited a major’s factory floor once–tats, that glazed over Monday morning look–sure didn’t look like monks to me.
do not worry–SOF kit
I had some conversation with him a while back, and was very impressed. As a Tibetan monk, he will be absolutely honest and you can be sure that your boat will be build mindfully.
On another note, I’d like to see someone put together a SOF kit. I started a thread on this topic on Qajak a while back. Worth a search if you’re interested. More complicated that it might at first appear.
For your purposes, good deal.
Still wont trade, not even 2 for 1. 
Kit +/-
I remember that discussion. Good points on all sides. Still think it’s a huge risk/hassle to market one. Besides, none of the individual components are hard to make even with simple tools. The overall design is another story, but basic methods tend to turn out reasonable craft.
SOF kit
Yes, it was a very interesting discussion. I think I’m going to build a black pearl rather than a SOF. Bjorn said that he could get me a kit customized to my body size at a reasonable price, and I like the idea of bulkheads rather than float bags. Like many folks, I don’t have time to gather the materials and cut them myself, and I’m lucky enough to be able to afford the help. Now I have to decide on whether to take a new job and derail the project!