: I have managed to find a source for clear rough sawn northern white cedar. I
: had it planed and told them to stop when it was smooth enough to make an
: almost seamless glue joint. When I saw strips to the 1/4" thickness,
: this will leave me with 7/8" strips instead of the usual 3/4".
: Do you think this extra 1/8" will create large "facets"
: that I will be unable to smooth out without getting the hull too thin? I
: have heard that builders are required to cut thinner strips for the tight
: curves. How wide and how narrow is typical? - Scott E.

Hi Scott,

Can't say what is 'typical', but I've built a canoe with 7/8" strips and am nearly finished with a Guillimot Exp. mostly using 3/4" and smaller strips. The canoe doesn't have any tight radii that I had to bridge, but the kayak sure did. Seems a shame to lose the 1/4" on the material you have - can you plane/rip only the portion that requires a tight radius? Keep in mind your patterning, though. I used some strips that are 1/8" - maybe if you rip some of your wide strips down to 3/4" you can use the 'waste' somewhere else.

In my case it sure was a lot faster using the wider strips for the canoe, but I guess speed shouldn't be the primary consideration.

To specifically answer your question - draw out a cross section of the tightest curve you need to make using both your wide and narrow strips. You'll easily see how much material should be left after fairing/sanding. If the tightest radius is at the hull/deck seam, also remember that you'll be beefing up that area with seam tape.

Have fun,

Lars