: 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.

So now you want to pay MORE for your wood? and you want to drive a goodly distance to get it? And you haven't even seen it and it was probably used for some wine cask so it has been damp for 20 years. Um, I think you are heading (rapidly) in an expensive direction. (And that is probably the first time in my life I ever thought of Duluth as an expensive direction.)

If the heartwood stood up to use in a winery then it has proven that it is water resistant, or at least grape juice resistant, and probably rot resistant, too. It may even be old growth with mice tight grain. Or, it could crack and split in your garage as the moisture that was in if for decades evaporates away. Personally I wouldn't risk the money on it for a first boat. If you want to get some for a future project, though, it might be beautiful stuff.

: 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.

I was at Menards and Home Depot yeaterday and thinking about you as I looked at the various cedar boards available. At menards the supply was pretty small, but at Home Depot, as I passed the 10 foot long 1x12 select boards they had I noticed immediately that all the knots were on the left side, and probably 6 to 7 inches on the right side of the board was totally clear and very even in color. If you bought boards like that and ripped off the left 4 to 5 inches you would be getting a great value: Clear wood at 2/3 the pice you are looking at. Of course even the left side of that board would have yielded an area over 5 feet long that was also clear. There are a few strip builder who like using pieces this long, and use them extensively. It is just easier to handle the shorter strips.

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

Quite usable. I get 1 inch strips from the nominal 5/4 x6 boards I buy. These are sold for home decks.
For boats that have complicated curves, or which need the strip to bend in the wider direction the aded width can be a handicap. Not to worry, though. you can easily rip them in half to get strips that are 1/4 inch thick and just a bit under 1/2 inch wide (About 7/16, depending on how much kerf your saw has) These narrower strips are just great for those complicated areas. The wider strips (1 inch) will let you put 33% more wood on with each strip, when compared to 3/4 inch strips, so if you plan to hang just two strips a night and clamp them down (for stapleless construction) you'll have fewer days of work.

PGJ