>Ed-

I've been growing bamboo in Washington State since 1981. I plan on building a bamboo kayak; however, structurally, bamboo in thickness of a quarter inch is overkill for strength and will weigh more than sitka spruce, red cedar, etc. of the same thickness (dependent on species) I would feel secure in an epoxy-and-glass encapsulated balsa wood kayak, it's the composite nature of the construction that gives it strength. By the way, I visited the Kon-Tiki museum in Oslo, Norway. Balsa alone has serious structural drawbacks....

Aesthetically, bamboo can't be beat.

A problem is getting culms (canes, poles) with a sufficient radius to plane down to the thickness you want. Another is getting bug-free bamboo. Moso is a good choice, grown primarily in China. Guadua, a species common in Columbia, resists splitting. You may want to use bamboo for the hull alone, the deck alone, or just for accents.

Northern Groves (Bamboo Farm) in Oregon has a lot of good info on its page, the proprietor's name is Rick Valley. A relative?

Send some pictures of whatever you choose to use.

Brian