Hi Glenn. I've built a S&G and now I'm working on a stripper. With the first boat I built the standard Chesapeake workstands - two vertical pieces with a strap between them on which to set the hull. It worked fine, however the boat hanging on the straps was able to swing back and forth. It usually wasn't a problem, but occasionally - when sanding, etc. - it was annoying.

On the stripper (Guillemot) I decided to use rigid supports. I built plywood pieces which match the contours and screwed them to the vertical pieces. However, I discovered something else. When I started stripping, the stands had to support the internal strongback. When I got the hull stripped, I had to turn the whole thing over. The stands then had to support the hull. Later, when I added the rub strips to the bow and stern, I had to turn it over again and the stands had to support the deck.

I ended up with three sets of "kayak holders" which I screw to the vertical members of the stands - one fits the strongback, one the hull, and one the deck. It works well. It only takes me a couple of minutes to switch. Of course, the kayak has to be off the stands when I make the switch. So I use the tie-down straps with the cam buckles from my car rack for that. I use them to hang the boat from the rafters of my garage.

As far as height, the higher the better. I'm 6'4" so my rack is rather high. The only problem is the higher the boat, the easier it is to tip the whole arrangement over when you start pushing on it - to attach staples, sanding, chiseling, etc. It hasn't been a problem for me, but sometimes I can feel it starting to tip and I have to brace it.

One last thing to think about. Since the strippers are built in two halves which will be joined toward the end of the process, you end up with two halves that can be worked on simultaneously. For instance, when I'm waiting for the filler putty to set on the inside of the hull, I can add another coat of epoxy to the deck. That means it's nice to have room to work on two "boats" at once. I didn't plan on this. I have a nice workspace for one half, but the other half is off to the side of the garage surrounded by junk, and I have to struggle to work on it. If you have room to prepare two workspaces, it could be handy.

Good luck. I think you'll enjoy the whole process. I have, although it's taking much longer than the stitch and glue did. It's more challenging too, but I think the finished product will be much more pleasing.