: I'm at the fairing/sanding stage on my first w/s kayak, since it is my first,
: I have a lot of sanding to do to correct some errors and (for structural
: reasons) I was worried about getting the wood to thin, anybody have any
: thoughts about it? how thin can you get it? thanks

The only reference you have in sanding is the initial surface.
Strip building relies on getting the strip edges aligned
to create a fair surface.

I suggest instead of relying on sanding/fairing to give you a
fair surface that you work on the strip alignment BEFORE you
continue.

You can fix any area of mis-aligned strips by cutting on the
glue joint (even if you've used cove & bead) with a utility knife
and re-aligning and gluing the strips. Use clamps, hot glue on
strip scraps, or sticks to push and align the rouge strips.

If you have a dip in your surface, cut on the glue line and insert
a thin wedge of wood to fair the surface.

To make a very thin wedge start by cutting a 1/16" slice off
a strip on the tablesaw. Then lay the piece on a bench edge and
plane one edge.

This will reduce your guess-work on how thick the hull is and will
reduce overall work because any irregular surface on the outside
of the hull will also have to be dealt with on the inside of the hull.

All the best,
Rob Macks
Laughing Loon CC&K
www.laughingloon.com