Hi Paul,

Thanks again for the info...

I got hold of a lumber resource in Duluth, Minnesota that apparently sells excellent heartwood redwood (I haven't seen it, though). The redwood came from a winery. Do you know if heartwood is good for boat building? Is it more dense than the outer trunk (normal) redwood? Unfortunately, there is no price break on this used wood (its actually more money than the new boards I can get here in town). I occasionally go up to the Duluth area for vacations.

And yes, I will probably get some long boards (18') and some shorter boards (10') to build the kayak. I may even throw in some pine, who knows.

Another question: I can also get boards that are 1" thick instead of 5/8". Are 1" wide strips usable?

Thanks again for your help,

Rich

: Tell ya what ya do. Get one board each of the clear cedar and the clear
: redwood. You'll get about 14 strips from the 1x6 and about 18 from the 1x8
: if you use a thin kerf sawblade. those 32 strips should cover you for all
: the highly visible areas on the hull, and give you some nice coloration
: for the upper hull and deck.
: Get some shorter boards of less than "Clear" quality for the rest.
: You may find that your lumberyard has better looking wood than Menards in
: select grades. Take a look at what they have for deck and fence materials.
: Remember, you can also use 2x4 and 2x6 stock for your strips. Sometimes
: the 2x materials are easier to work with.

: If you want some nice accent, ask for a piece of pine, spruce or fir, which
: should be rather inexpensive. Unless you use a lot of redwood or pine you
: will not greatly affect the weight.

: You'll find that you need a lot of strips which are in the 12 to 8 foot
: length, or shorter. I think the smallest piece I used was about 15 inches
: long. the deck, for example, can be stripped in two parts: fore of the
: cockpit, and aft of the cockpit, and uses strips that are 6 to 8 feet
: long. ( no sense covering over the entire cockpit and the cutting out a
: lot of waste. Just let your strips overhang the cockpit opening a few
: inches, and then trim back those few inches when you cut the actual
: cockpit opening.

: Well, of course you don't want to go for the wood with the most knots in it
:
: If I find a nice 10 foot board with a gross blemish near the end, I cut out
: the blemish and scarf the 10 foot board into a narrower 18 footer. I've
: been working with 1x6 and 1x8 mostly. I rip the board in half, giving me
: two pieces that are nominally 1x3 or 1x4. Then I flip the right piece end
: for end. The top of it matches with the top of the left piece. Overlap
: them 2 feet, stack and cut through both diagonally to make a scarf with a
: ratio of about 8:1. If the big blemishes are in the overlapping area, they
: get cut away as I do my scarf.
: When the glue on the scarf dries I rip my strips from these boards.

: Ever seen a brick wall? The very term "Brick Wall" conjures images
: of solidity and strength, yet it is made up of many very short,
: individual, elements. teh big thing is that the beicks are staggered so
: that the joints and seams are not in a straight line for several
: consecutive rows. The same situation applies to your strip-built boat. If
: you want to scarf several strips into a longer length (time consuming) you
: can. Otherwise, just stagger the joints. All the strips secured by being
: edge glued to the strips next to them, and then they are laminated inside
: layers of fiberglass, so there is a tremendous amount of reinforcement for
: each joint. Simple, square, butt joints are perfectly fine.

: Yeah, but it is so much nicer to spend that extra money on more wood for a
: paddle, or your next boat

: Have fun shopping. Doesn't that lumberyard smell great?

: PGJ