She is a school teacher and is very generous with her money. She knows how to live poor too. Well, I don't like temporary boats made out of trash. Of course, I had pulled and plarled the lumber the day before. What I am getting at is that a boat that you build yourself is going to become very dear to you no matter what kind of a piece of junk it is and when it self-destructs, it will break your heart.
Any capable amateur can do that.
It is even possible that you might able to starve along until you can attract the few widely scattered people in the world who will pay what it costs to have the best small boat ever made. Strip-planked wood boats, properly glued and sheathed inside and out with epoxy and fiberglass are the strongest and longest lasting small boats ever within the reach of an amateur builder. Though building a boat like that is not easy and takes so many hours that few professionals find it profitable, it is possible to build a truly wonderful boat with little previous experience. Here is what I would do if I were starting out right now. I would build one of those little strip planked Wee Lassies from a kit.