> Is it possible to use fresh cut cedar right from the sawmill or should it
> be dried first THANK YOU. J.D.

Basically, it should be dry first, but it may have dried enough before the mill cut it, into planks, or it may have dried some while it was on the rack waiting ot be purchased.

The question involves knowing how long the tree dried after it was felled and before it was cut into lumber, as well as the conditions under which the tree and lumber were stored before you got them. Usually you just cant get this information. You can, however, get information on the moisture content of the wood. Your sawmill may have a moisture gauge or meter, and they should be happy to measure a few boards for you if you politely ask.

Freshly cut green wood can be glued into a boat (heck, ANYTHING can be glued these days), but as it dries it may shrink unpredictably, and distort the hull. Or, it may be fine. You really can't predict this accurately. If you should fiberglass over it, trapped moisture will cause problems down the line. Once the excess moisture is out of the wood, it will hold it's shape, and it is not too hard to keep it dry. The fiberglass layer does a good job of this.

Boards that are not kiln dried can be air dried for a while. The thinner the board, the faster the internal moisture can escape, so the board dries faster. I fyou fololow this line of reasoning, you may want to cut strips from your lumber and let those thinner strips air dry.

If you go this route, secure them so they don't warp as they dry.

It takes a considerable amount of time to construct a strip boat. If this is your first boat, it is likely that even if you started with green, wet, strips, they would be bone dry long before you attached the final strips. So, if you are impatient, go ahead and start with what you have, and you probably shouldn't have any problems. On the other hand, if let the wood dry a bit, your potential for trouble decreases.

Just a few thoughts.

Paul Jacobson