Well, of course you need a serious motivation...I don't think that anyone starts something like this only to save money. I study architecture (this is my 6th and final year) and I have done a lot of scale models and worked with so many different materials and so many type of shapes. I can say that I have a lot of experience in building stuff, but not boats. Workshop is pretty well equipped also...My job has teached me over the years that making something with your own hands is worth every drop of sweat...
So yeah, I'm mostly in it for experience, I think the end product is 10x rewarding if coming out of your own hands.
I read that the hulls represent 1/4 -1/3 of total cost, I have that in mind. I'm planning to buy some used or even wrecked cat for the gear. I can write a lot of reasons why I'm in for building but one thing is for sure -I'm dead locked on it.
Buying a cat here is also almost impossible - this is Romania I'm talking about, I have looked for cats in the area allready and there is no chance.
Cheers.