> Paul,

> I know what you're looking for, but unfortunately don't where to get it
> either. This is the stuff that the fiberglass kayak mfgrs use to assemble
> their boats. I think a typical procedure is to put a bead of 3M 5200
> sealent indide the H then glass the inside of the seam.

The local Builders Square is going out of business, and as I was browsing through the sale items I saw the bin for this `H` shaped extrusion just where I expected it -- by the melamine panels and tileboard. Looking overhead I could even see how it was being used to join the samples of tileboard that were on display. The usual price was on the bin: $2.15 for an 8 foot strip. Since the bin was empty I assume that everyone from this board must have hit that store for this hot item while it was marked down by 40%. For those who were too slow to make the sale by me, I'm sure that there are hardware stores or lumberyards close to them that stock this stuff.

The actual cross section of the material before use is NOT exactly `H' shaped, but in use it comes close to looking like an `H`. Next time I hit a hardware store I'll either trace the picture off the bin, or buy a sample and photograph it for the delight of you all.

I'm not sure I'd trust this alone, or even with some 3M sealant, to hold a boat together, but the thought occurs to me that the material may be useful for holding 1/4 inch wood strips in approximate place while fitting them. When cut into 2 inch or 3 inch long pieces the `H` channel could make some very cheap clamps, jigs or fixtures. And, you could cut through them with a saw or router and not do any damage to the blade or bit.

If you used these to dry fit a hull or deck you might be able to cut all your pieces and then do a single glue up/clamping with one batch of epoxy. Considering the shape of these short `H` section `clamps'(?), square edged strips would work better than strips with bead and cove edges.

Paul Jacobson