Hi there Johnno, good to hear from you. I am located in Grafton northern NSW, so there is a fair distance between us, nearly two days (plus) travel by car to Melbourne from here.
Great minds must think alike, as I am going to do minor bits first too, with bits of ply I have left over from the kayak I built.
I plan on using Kwila (merbau) for the keel laminations, as I can get it through a local window manufacturer, and it will be straight! I think the only thing I have to do is to wash it lightly with acetone before gluing. What did you use for your keel?
I was also thinking of using exterior grade ply for above the waterline items, as marine ply prices up here kills the wallet. Did you use all marine ply, or a mixture? At under $50 per sheet of exterior grade, it beats the price of marine ply which sells up here for around $120-180 per sheet, depending on thickness.
The worst thing about starting the build is that the missus says I have to sell my big bowrider first so I have room to build the Weekender.
Ah well, but a small sacrifice to pay to start building again.