A few people I work with are very interested in building stripper canoes. It is very difficult (and expensive) to get good western cedar here. I live about one mile from a small lumber mill. I was there today and the owner knows I build canoes/ kayaks.

He asked me if I would be interested in using Sassafras for canoes. I told him I would check.

He has about 800 board feet of very clear Sassafras for a reasonable price. The question I have is...has anyone used Sassafras or are there any wood experts out there who know wood properties and can tell me if it roughly equivalent to cedar?

Normally, Sassafras around here does not get big enough, but this stuff is about 10 inches wide.