: Two years ago I made a cypress strip built canoe, but did not add any
: decorative strips of contrasting wood. Shortly, I will be starting a
: kayak. I plan to add some sort of design using contrasting woods. I have
: been giving the design some thought and have come up with a question that
: I haven't seen discussed in any of the strip building books I have read.
: Is it best to use strips without a bead and cove where contrasting strips
: meet? My thought is that strips with a bead and cove will not maintain a
: crisp edge (joint between strips look wavy) after sanding. Any thoughts?

Absolutely right. Detail strips would look awful if they varied in width, so most builders plane them to fit so the width stays constant during planing, fairing and sanding.