: Anyone know if Tamarac could be used for the frame of an SOF kayak? I can get
: it here locally - and cheap.

Someitmes I think it would be difficult to find a material which could not be used for a kayak frame. Some materials might take a bit longer to work with, or be cut to different shapes, but by adding epoxy, glass fibers or glass cloth, and enough time, I think you could make almost anything work for some kind of boat. Tamarack should be fine.

In fact, a site dedicated to tamarack (http://www.tamarack.pe.ca/about.html ) as a furniture material mentions that it has been used for shipbuilding for years:
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"Since our founding, we have rediscovered the properties of Tamarack, a wood so durable it has been used to build some of the world's largest sailing ships. After several years of product research and development, we have successfully mastered the intricacies involved in working with this amazing wood."

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For the properties of tamarack, try:

http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/SoftwoodNA/PDF%20files/larixlariceng.pdf

on the second page it mentions use of this for boat ribs.
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If your tamarack is in good shape you should be able to cut it into stringers. Perhaps you'll need to scarf a few boards together first, but it should be possible.

If your plans call for making ribs, as opposed to building the boat over cut forms or frames, then you may want to try steam or hot air (heat gun) for bending a few ribs from a sample of the wood. Just buy one short board for these tests. If the wood does not bend nicely when heated or steamed, try ripping it into very thin strips and laminating those in a form.

hope this helps

PGJ