Don't know where you live but in the East there is basswood which is so pale it's bland. It's light weight,easy to work and can be had in long clear lengths. Carvers love it. All those wonderful animals on merry-go-rounds are carved from basswood. The lack of decernable grain patterns make it unsuitable for a lot of wood projects. I hear it also is not very rot resistant.
Nonetheless, I'm concidering using it for my first strip project.
Charlie

: thanks for the heads up: cedar it is. I have a local lumber yard (thomas)
: that stocks cedar in better quality and quantity than depot or loews. i
: had never seen the aspen before thats why i asked. too bad its a pain
: because a white boat would be interesting.