: If you're only going to build one boat the cheap one will probably be fine
: assuming it's one of the better consumer brands - B&D, Rigid, Skil, etc.
: You definitely don't need plunge ability for milling strips.

: The difference between most consumer tools and their professional
: counterparts is money (about $120 for routers) - and their duty cycle. A
: pro version will run all day every day. The $39 version will not. Stop and
: take a break every 15 - 20 minutes or so to let is cool down and it should
: be fine. Try to mill an entire boat's worth of strips in one session and
: you'll likely burn it up.

: Save your money for the Random Orbit Sander you'll need later on. Go pro
: there as you'll be doing a lot more sanding than milling strips! I use and
: swear by Porter Cable, but there are many other good companies. Plan to
: spend about $80 on a good ROS, and two to three times that much on
: sandpaper.

: Good luck!

: Randy

The only way to really know if your fixed base router will work is to put a bit in and try it. It might work, it might not. The more challenging aspect will be getting it adjusted to the right height, it is harder with a fixed but not impossible.

I agree with the other Randy on spending money on a router. If you were going to use it for other projects and get into woodworking, I would suggest buying a better one. But if all you are going to do is rip strips and then let it sit, buy a cheaper one. Like Randy said, don't try to do all your strips at once, you will burn it out.