: . . . As for my S&G's, they'll be around for at
: least as long as I am - they're easy to maintain and repair.

I seem to recall pictures of one of your S&Gs when it was in 7 pieces (do I have that number right?) and again when it was reassembled. Some dam(n?) encounter or another. So I guess they'll be around as long as you are ....there to rebuild them. Otherwise, I'd say you have already outlived at least one boat. And that is probably as it should be.

: My strippers
: (once they are all built) will last just as long but I most certainly will
: NOT bang 'em up on the rocks/logs/waterfalls/rock gardens, etc.

Don't be shy about getting into tough places with a stripper. You don't need to baby them. While the idea of a boat built from strips of wood sounds like it would be a fragile craft, the same could be said about boats covered with birchbark, animal hides, canvas, 3.2 ounce dacron, thin vinyl, and blue poly tarps. Yet boats have been built from these materials, and they have proven to be quite durable.

It seems to defy reason, but if you take a look at some of the testing done on panels of wood strips you'll see that those made with thinner slices of wood are more flexible, and could prove to be more durable. Instead of hitting a rock and having the hull crack, it would bend, and the boat would bounce off.

Sharp rock edges will slice thru the bottom of aluminum canoes, and they'll certainly slice thru fiberglass coverings on any wood boats. With rounded rocks you have a good chance to slide off. My canoe has certainly bounced off many! Until recently I've just patched the gouges, buffed out the scratches and revarnished. Right now the canoe is going thru a refit and I'm going to re "glass" the bottom of the boat with a dacron cloth. I figured I might as well play with something different. In removing the old glass I wsa amazed at how thick it actually was, and at how little real damage it had sustained over 10 years.

You are playing with "slippery" coatings for the bottoms of your boats, and I suggest you try something like that on the bottom of your stripper. I think you'll find it even more effective on the rounder hull of a stripper than on a plywood boat. And then I think you'll surprise yourself at how durable those strippers are.

Why not build two strippers? One for show, and one for hard use?

Just a thought.

PGJ

PGJ