A few excellent tools that are right for the job are better than a box full of cheap tools that are no good. The right tools and materials will help. Start on a boat with skills you can reasonably expect to learn as you go along, if you need to learn skills. There are good boats for all skill levels and for all purposes. Build to the level of finish that suits you and your needs.
Some builders make boats which are fine art, as perfect as can be.
Go right ahead and do so if that is your goal. On the other hand you can invest less time and skill and make a very presentable boat, one that will do its job just as well, and one that most folks will admire. There is no fine-boat Mafia. If you need a boat for rough work then a plain paint job is fine, and glossy varnished trim would be as wrong as silk stockings on a bear. Don't build to meet a schedule, or if you feel the project is beyond you or your resources.