Hi Dan,

I dunno--talk to Chris at CLC. From what I know of him, he's a pretty cool guy, and he might work something out with you. Basically, you'd just want to buy the standard kit without the deck panels. You'd have to buy the cedar/redwood/pine/whatever you're stripping it with and cut it yourself or buy cove & bead strips from Newfound.

Once you stitch & glue your hull, just put in some extra deckbeams to staple into. They wouldn't have to be as heavy as the ones you put in front of the cockpit and at the bow. Cover them with tape, and just start stripping just like you would a stripper on forms. Then, pull your staples, sand and glass the outside of the deck, pull it off, and sand & glass the inside. You probably wouldn't have to glass the entire inside, especially if you leave the stripping deckbeams in and epoxy the deck to them. I'd certainly glass the inside in front of and behind the cockpit, where you put a lot of stress on the deck doing re-entries.

Also, by stripping the deck, I'd be able to put in a recessed cockpit that would be more comfortable to lean back in to roll. (and looks cool, too!)

I really, really, really wish I'd done this with my boat, except I was in a hurry to have something to paddle! After I build my second boat, I'll probably tear off the deck of my first boat, the Ches. 17, and strip the deck. I don't have time to work solid on a project, so I hate the thought of having a month off without a boat!

Did I make any sense of all this? :)

Shawn

> Is this an option available when ordering the kit? I agree that strip
> boats look very classy.

> Cheers, Dan

> Or,