: Hello,
: I seen on CLC's sight that they do not reccomend red cedar for shear clamps.
: Any thoughts on this. I plan on using red cedar for shear clamps on my
: Shearwater Baidarka and am wondering if I should change to a different
: wood.
: Thanks
: Michael

The shear clamp is a structural joint that has to be strong enough to handle the flexural stresses between the deck and hull (including the cold forming of the plywood and the flexing during paddling). Since it is not sandwiched in glass and epoxy it is all up to the wood to carry these stresses. CLC also uses ring nails to secure the cambered deck to the shear clamps during construction and the wood has to be hard enough to grip the nails to hold the cold bent deck securely until the epoxy cures. Also, if you do not install a rub rail the shear clamp has to be tough enough to take the bashing of paddles and docks (CLC shows rounding the shear enough by sanding through the plywood to expose a good portion of the shear clamp).