> Thanks Nolan. Did you use the 1/4" laun, like the other gentleman
> that posted below? Home Depot here has luan, and it looks pretty good but
> it is 1/4" (actually, it is just a bit shy of 1/4....the marking
> shows 5.2mm as the thickness). Is that the same stuff that you used? Which
> design of S&G did you build? I'm thinking that laun will be OK if the
> plywood doesn't have to make any real excessive bends. My paddling is on
> pretty tame water for the most part, and the boats are stored inside. My
> main concern is the bow and stern areas.....getting the ply to bend in
> these areas. I am also considering using strips for the deck....I have
> several left over from the canoe (if y'all have any ideas on the best way
> to do that.....I'm open to suggestions!). I looked at the okume from clc.
> I didn't pass out from the price of the ply, but man!, those shipping
> charges really take a chunk!

> MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE POSTED IN ANSWER TO MY ?s. This is an
> excellent forum here....a great resource for this ol' country boy! Thanks
> for sharing your know-how. garland

I built a 12' S&G kayak using the 5.2mm luan from Home Depot. No trouble with bending or any building process, but it made a very heavy boat for it's length, about 50 lbs. It weighs the same as an 18 footer (including rudder) that I built from 4mm okume. I could have overdone the epoxy a little, but the extra thickness of wood adds up fast. I used 1/8 inch doorskin for the deck with a couple of light braces underneath. BTW, I use small nylon wire ties instead of wire for stitches, much easier and faster.

If I ever get over my addiction of building kayaks with cedar strips I'm going to try using 1/8 inch doorskin covered on both sides with something like 2 oz. fiberglass. Has anyone tried that? Does it add too much weight?