Purchase the manual separately if you'd like to get a feel for the whole project before starting a kit, or if you have misplaced your instruction manual. CLC instruction manuals walk you through construction step by step with photos and drawings, and are a good way to get acquainted with the process in advance of a kit purchase. (Manual purchase refundable with kit purchase.) There is not enough information in the manual to build a boat from scratch---you will need the complete Plans & Manual package for that.