Hi Tom,

I built my Chesapeake 17 last winter with 4mm okoume hull, and a lauan doorskin deck. I was hesitant at the time to trust lauan for my hull. I think 1/4" (6mm) would make a pretty heavy boat. (Mine is about 50 lbs. and I wouldn't want it any heavier) 1/8" (Doorskins) are pretty flimsy, so would need a bit of 'glass on the inside to make them safe. The deck, however is fairly non-structural. I went with doorskins and would do it again--I had only one problem in that the force from my knees under the deck caused some cracking, but was fixed and prevented future cracking with a little glass work.

My advice: Don't use 1/4" Lauan for your boat. It will be so heavy that you won't like loading and unloading it and you won't use it. Don't use 1/8" Lauan by itself; if you glass the inside and outside, it will make a suitable boat. If you find 4x8 panels of the 1/8" stuff (too much waste from 3x7) and find a good deal on glass, you probably can build it cheaper than with okoume, and can then justify building with lauan.

FWIW my total cost was $425

Email me if you have more questions.

Shawn
> Have read about pro and cons of Luan (or Luaun or however it is spelled)
> and was wondering if anyone has used it to build stitch and glue kayak out
> of it. I have used it to build 14' foot skiff, and had no problems with
> it, but was wondering if use for CLC West River or Cheasapeake would be a
> problem. My main concern would be if thicker plywood would cause problems
> with construction of the boat. Any comments welcome.