A whole lot of your hull strength comes from the thickness of those strips. The strength of the wood itself isn't the major contribution, it's the spacing of the two layers of glass. Think of it like an I-beam. An I-beam is strong by having the top and bottom of the I-beam shape held apart by the center, preventing the top and bottom from simply sagging or folding. If the center is missing or too small, the top and bottom parts of the I-beam simply fold like flat bars. A kayak's hull is essentially the same way. Without bothering to do math to investigate, I'd suspect 1/4" is the optimal size roughly. I wouldn't panic over sanding it to 3/16", but I'd be awfully concerned if it got as low as 1/8".

If you're truly having problems ripping strips smoothly you could handle it a couple of ways to my thinking.

1, you could rip extra thick to allow for sanding or planing.

2, you could use a fairing compound to fill in the low spots as you build the boat. Which would make painting the boat necessary.

3, you could modify #2 and try to keep the uneven side inside. Then you could sand and show the outside wood, and use filler on the inside, where esthetics isn't that important.

4, all the other ways I haven't thought off right now, but that others will suggest or you will come up with on your own.

> Any recommendations on the tolerances I should be striving for as I cut
> strips? I'm cutting long ones (16') that all seem to have at least a
> slight wobble in them. How much is acceptable? Also, on related note, when
> I am finished sanding and ready to start glassing, how thick will/should
> my stips be?