Poplar and Aspen are different trees. Which are you thinking about using?

If you are thinking Aspen (or popple), make sure you choose your wood for weight and grain. Aspen can range from heavy to moderately light, hard to soft, colored to white.

Aspen is a reasonably tough wood. I used it for the stems.

Even using "light" Aspen, your boat will be heavier than with cedar.

Considering the hours you will put into your boat, the cost and quantity of materials is insignificant. I just finished ripping the strips for a canoe, I got 24 strips per 2x4, so only 3 2x4's will go into making the hull.

Unless you can find some very light Aspen, I would recommend using a cedar.

Good Luck, Dan

> Anyone ever use poplar (Aspen) for a stripper? Being very light weight,
> with long straight clear planks available and cheap it seems like it might
> have some potential. The reasons I know of that poplar is not used as
> dimensional lumber are that it has very little strength and decays very
> rapidly. For a stripper sealed forever (hopefully) decay should not be a
> problem. Strength should not be a problem since it’s only being used as a
> core for the fiberglass. Poplar also has very little coloration and
> contrast and may make an ugly boat.

> Ecologically speaking, we are going to run out of usable northern white
> cedar, it’s a once in a lifetime tree. Being slow growing and in the
> presence of white-tailed deer it is none renewable. Poplar on the other
> hand is a family of trees that will last forever (at least as far as we’re
> concerned).

> Sorry if this topic has already been discussed, I haven’t had very much
> time to keep up on the Internet stuff lately.

> Thanks,

> Kevin Morlock