> Struer Sprintboats are doing something like you describe, but it may be
> heat involved in their molding.

> Here is a short description of their method:

> http://www.struer-sprintboats.com/construc.htm And here is pictures of
> finished kayak using the method:

> http://www.struer-sprintboats.com/knut.htm I have seen these kayaks in
> real life. THey are the most beautiful ones that I have ever seen, like
> carved from solid wood varnished and polished better then the best of
> furniture.

> Struer invite customers to observe their building of the boat, so if you
> go to their www site, and contact them, I guess they will tell you where
> they buy their wood. Of course there may be some secrets in their way of
> boat building, but I guess that such secrets may be hidden in equipment
> that you will never buy anyway...

> Time will show if the Struer wooden kayaks and canoes will survive as
> Olympic racing crafts. I hope that they will, but I do not feel quite
> sure. There is money and knowlege involved, and Struer is a very small
> Danish factory...

> Jan Gunnar

Thanks, Jan.

They are doing something like my idea, although clearly with much more skill and sophisticated equipment than I could manage.

I contacted them several weeks ago with questions about their construction methods. I got a very nice email response and they promised to send me a pamphlet with information about construction. I didn't ask where they source their wood, but it probably doesn't matter to me, because I'm sure that buying from a European source would bankrupt me. I'm looking for sources here in the US.

I saw several of their boats up close this weekend at the Washington Canoe Club. They are truly spectacular. As to their future in Olympic-style racing, it sounds like their designs are the state of the art in the industry, and that the "very small Danish factory" is not significantly hindered by its size or nationality.

Someone at the Canoe Club was kind enough to give me a scrap of veneer used for repair work on the Struer boats. It was very thin -- I would guess less than 1mm -- and the person I spoke to seemed to think the boat was made up of three plys of this veneer. Can this be right?