> Don't get hung up on a single element. Think of the whole.
> "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts".

But it's also true that "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link". How much of a contribution does the wood layer make to the overall structural strength in the first place? If significant, then the type of joint will probably make a difference to the overall structural strength (at least of a single panel, but perhaps not of the complete multi-panel whole). If not significant, then why not go for the joint that's easiest to build? In the most extreme case, if the wood doesn't make a significant contribution to the strength, then why not just tack the panels to a backing strip temporarily just to get them on the forms, and then glass over them, never gluing them to each other at all? (glass does great under tension and very badly under compression; how does it do under shear? I don't know.)

Bram makes a good point, though: there IS one very good reason for using one over the other -- aesthetics. A scarf may be nearly invisible, where a butt might be quite visible. I hadn't been thinking along those lines at all.

> covered with more more layers of veneer--which overlap the
> joints of previous layers.

While this may be true for a strip-built, it's not true for a stitch&glue, correct? don't all the butt joints generally line up at midspan?

[ by the way, I'm not really hung up on this issue... just toying with the problem as a thought experiment... "Schrodinger's Kayak", say. :)

I've gotta have SOMEthing to do for the next couple months until I get this dang wedding out of the way (mine, that is) and have some free time to start building my 'yak. :) ]