> I feel that I should expand on my previous post.

> I consider this first boat of my to be a learning experience. I never went
> into this project expecting this to be the only kayak I would ever build.
> I expected to have problems (and I do), and I expect to work my way
> through these problems and learn as I go. I also plan on building at least
> 2 more stitch and glue, and at least 2 strip build kayaks down the road. I
> have never worked with epoxy or fiberglass before, and was/am somewhat
> skeptical of my own abilities to successfully complete this project.
> Knowing that this was an OJT project, I was less concerned with a boat
> that would last me 10 - 20 years, and more concerned with "Can I do
> this?"

> Now, with the deck and hull about to go together, I am much more confident
> in my abilities, and already thinking about what my next yak will
> be.(Actually I'll do one for my wife next.)

> I'm still not sure how my exterior glass job will come out, or how the
> final finish will look, but I have been learning a lot along the way. I
> know that my next boat will be 100x better than this one in every aspect
> of quality, beauty and durability. Even so, I'm sure I will get years of
> use out of this first boat on the small lake on which I live (500 acres).
> If I do decide to go down to the L.I. Sound and paddle, I will most likely
> do so in a stripper, as I'm not sure how the hard chines of a stitch and
> glue would handle the rolling water.

> Therefore, when I first set out to start this project, I set down rule
> number one: Build the first one as cheaply as possible. If I succeed and
> continue building, then number 2 through ??? will be progressively higher
> quality and standards, and if I had abandoned the project halfway through,
> (I'm not) I would have minimized my losses.

> Only time will tell if my standard grade Lauan is of sufficent quality for
> building a stitch and glue kayak. I believe it is. I believe that the
> sheathing of 6oz. glass will be more than enough to handle the stress that
> will be put on this boat. But only time will tell.

> Larry

I'd be interested to hear from others how well regular Lauan undrlayment has served and how well it has held up. I totally agree with your strategy; Learn with the cheap stuff first. I question your opinion of hard chine boats not being up to the waters of LI Sound though, the Greenlanders have sworn by hard chine craft for a few thousand years now and they paddle in much rougher condtions than those you'd typically find in LIS.