I made the T-beam because it was more convienent for me to make since I built my kayak in my apartment living room. All I needed was a skil-saw and a cordless drill to make the beam and the risers for the forms. But if I had easier access to real tools I would have done the box-beam. This method keeps all the forms together for the entire project, whereas the T-beam method reqires that the forms be removed from the beam after the hull is stripped. The lack of support hurts during the fairing stage. I did find the T-beam to be rock-solid, though.

I have heard of people taking a 2x4, ripping it down the center, then gluing/nailing it together back-to-back (so the center cut is now on the outsides) to equalize any internal stresses in the wood.

I have a bit of a problem with moisture from showering and cooking in my apartement, so I covered the T-beam with some left-over polyurethane stain/varnish from a furniture project to seal the wood to prevent any change in moisture that could cause warping. It stayed sraight, but I also found a couple of nice 2x4's (on the bottom of the pile, of course -- the guys at the lumberyard probably loved me) that were cut from the center of the tree and were pretty straight to begin with.

Dean

: I'm going to make my forms for my kayak tonight. I'll be using 3/4" 11
: ply guatambu plywood. I have some reservations about using a 2 x 4 for the
: strongback though. Framing lumber that we get in this area is really
: crummy. You can hand pick it in the lumber yard and it looks nice and
: straight. But after you take it in your shop and it continues drying, it
: can wind or curl considerably.

: I've considered laminating up a 2 x 4 beam out of kiln dried oak. And, I've
: looked at making the ladder type strongback as shown in Nick Schades book.

: I'd like to hear many opinions in order to assist me in making a choice.

: Thanks,

: John