What size boards are you getting? Are they already 1x whatever or are these 4x4 posts? Or are you getting freshly cut logs?

Unless you are buying freshly cut logs these things have already started to dry. They may not have gone through a kiln, but they may have been kicking around this guy's wood pile for a while already. If they are already cut to (nominal) inch thick boards, then they are probably already dry enough to work with.

If you have boards that are thicker than an inch, rip them down to 1 inch or 7/8ths inch thick boards. If the wood seens damp as you make these cuts then let those boards dry for a week or two while you cut your forms and build a strongback. Otherwise, go right to ripping strips.

If you work with 5/16 strips you are guaranteeing yourself either a heavier boat, or a second cutting job, or extensive planing or sanding to get those strips down to a final 1/4 inch size. That effectively doubles the amount of time you spend making those strips. Cutting wider strips also means you will get fewer strips from each board. If you needed 40 board feet for 1/4 inch strips (4/16) you will need about 50 board feet for the same number of 5/16 strips. 25% thicker strips means 25% more materials, and more weight.

I'd cut 1/4 inch strips. If it shrinks a bit, fine. You can certainly go down to 3/16 inch strips with no problems -- so don't worry about any shrinkage. You'll just end up with a boat that weighs a bit less and is just as strong. There are worse things in life. These thinner strips should dry rapidly, even if they are damp.

8 and 10 foot boards are just fine to work with. You will probably want to have some full length strips to start with.

I like to scarf a couple of boards to get the length I want, first, and then rip my strips from those longer boards. I use fewer clamps, only make one or two large scarf joints (instead of a lot of small ones) and in ripping the strips I automatically get a neat area around the scarf, free of epoxy drips or discolorations. I also get a very good match for grain and color.

To do this I first rip my boards in half. If I am using 1 x 8s I get two pieces that are roughly 1x4s. If I am using 1x6s I get two pieces that are roughly 1x3. I have been using a 1 to 8 scarf ratio, and could probably get away with a 1 to 6 ratio. The cut removes 24 inches from the length of the board. If I am joining two pieces of 10 foot stock I get an 18 foot board.

After I rip the original board I flip one piece over on top of the other so that I match the grain. I stack these boards in position with a 2 foot overlap, draw a pencil line at the proper angle across these two, and cut along the line with a circular saw. If I can clamp on a scrap board for a guide, then I use it. Otherwise, I freehand cut it. Since the boards are clamped one above the other in the position they will be when glued, any minor cutting errors on the top match up with the pattern cut on the bottom board. Occasionally I may touch up the cuts with a plane or sander before gluing.

If you find it too wasteful to scarf 3 inch wide stock, then rip your materials to an inch or inch-and-a-half and scarf those. With a 1:6 ratio on 1 inch wide boards you will only lose 6 inches ( or half a foot), so joining two 10 foot pieces gives you a piece that is 19.5 feet long.

If you need really long pieces, consider scarfing 3 pieces from 8 or 10 foot boards. Working with a 1x12 you would get a 20 foot 1x4 from 8 foot stock, and a 26 foot 1x4 from the 10 footers. To get a good grain match with these, lay out the three freshly ripped boards in front of you, roughly reassembling them in the place they were before cutting. Keep the middle board in place, and flip the other boards so that one aligns its top with the top of the middle board, and the other aligns its bottom with the bottom of the middle board. Be sure that you have one edge made up of fresh cut edges, and the other side will have the freshly cut edge of the center board matched (poorly) with the factory cut edges of the other boards. After your glue dries you can trim off the bad edge as you rip your strips. Just leave that edge to be cut last.

The wider the wood you work with the easier it seems to be to cut the angular cut for the scarf joint, and to clean it up so that the parts match well -- but you lose more wood.

I get 7 or 8 strips from a nominal 1 x 6 that has been ripped and scarfed into an nominal 1x3 that is roughly twice the length. I can live with that many full length strips to get things started, so I only need to bother with one scarf joint for a whole project -- but you may want twice as many.

Sounds like a great price for your wood.

Good luck with your boat building.

Paul G. Jacobson