: I'm considering building a Guillemot SK and would like to ask several
: questions to satisfy my own curiosity.

: First, I am fortunate (I think?) to have a lumber supplier that deals only
: with West. Red Cedar located about 4 miles from where I live. Not a big
: deal in some parts of the country, but not so common here in Alabama.
: Anyway, his price for W.R.C. is about $1.90 per linear foot for
: 1"x6" and $2.something? for 1x8" clear/no nots. (16' to 18'
: lengths were not a problem and I wouldn't have to worry with shipping etc.
: I have the equipment to rip and mill the stock.) Thats still right at $4 +
: per board foot which is close to Mahogany :^) Is this price
: good/reasonable/ridiculous for WRC? I have no idea because I don't know
: how much wood goes into the average Guillemot Kayak (17'). What are some
: REAL figures for the cloth and Epoxy needed and who are some of the most
: reasonable suppliers.

On the East coast they would be very good prices, I much prefer the Atlantic cedar, normall available for $1.50/board foot give or take 5o cents, these are canadian funds.

Nicks book gives all the figures for materials, That includes a waste factor also. To calculate the board feet required, divide the board width by strip thickness plus a tolerance to prevent thin strips plus the saw blade kerf. Subtract 1 strip for overall board width variance. Generally, most boats require around 55 strips, remember, not all strips are full length and having to many strip is not usually a problem as most builders can find a use for the extras.

: My next issue is: Has anyone used cypress with good results? or is it too
: heavy? I may be able to get this for very reasonable. Can it be milled
: thinner than 1/4" to lighten the boat? I know it shares similar
: properties with spruces/cedars but don't know how it would work.

: Last: As I said, I was considering the Guillemot. Can it be built from the
: plans included in Nick's "Strip-Building Kayaks" book or should
: I purchase the full size plans. I know for sure that I'll be getting the
: book, just didn't want to purchase more than I needed. Will they just need
: to be lofted?

I have successfully built from Nick's book, once you understand the lofting process, it's easy. Just remember to fair the forms before cutting them out. There are a few corrections, they are available on this site, just do some searching. There was a thread earlier this year (March\April) about using cypress.

: Obviously, any advice is much-needed. And thanks for the great Forum and for
: letting me ramble on with novice questions.