Hi Paul;

The cedar I got had very few and very small knots. I lost perhaps 6 strips of the cedar as a consequence. But I really didn't lose them, they broke immediately at the knot. I'll probably have a need for many short strips, so I'll just use them like they are. The walnut had no knots at all, and the spruce was the worst. It had (among others) a larger knot that severed 3 consecutive strips. When you're selecting wood, if all the knots are along one side of the board, you can at least get clear strips from the other side. If the knots are sprinkled evenly around the board you may get very few full length pieces.

You are indeed correct about Florida! I live in Sarasota, which is about 60M south of Tampa. Lots of great kayaking down here.