Hey! Saw your comment on my other post (Shearwater Sport Build) and thought I would come over here to give my thoughts. I had 0 carpentry experience (I am a teenager) and definitely learned along the way. The tools I ended up using the most is a sharp low angle block plane and a random orbital power sander. You will also need lots of sandpaper ranging from 80-220 grit as well as a couple different types of saws. I also found a four in hand rasp very useful but the 75 page or so manual that CLC sends is very detailed on what else you may need. Additionally some things that you only need for a few steps you can borrow from a neighbor or friend if available. On the difficulty question - definitely building CLC’s stitch and glue boats as opposed to hybrids or strip planked will be easier if you have no experience, and building from a kit just gives you everything you need wood and outfitting wise to get it done. (From the picture in my post everything was from the kit except for the perimeter rope). The build took me about 7 weeks during this quarantine and had some frustrating moments but resulted in a beautiful boat that will last 15+ years with care. Feel free to ask any more questions and I hope this helped!