For the last coaming that I made I cut an oak board into thin strips (~3/32" thick, and only about 38" long) and laminated them around a form with Titebond III. Not the easiest way to go about it (made a mess with the glue, and its hard to keep all the strips where you want them since the glue makes them slippery) but it turned out pretty well. You might try clamping the strips to your form for a few days without glue to put some bend in them so glue-up will be a little easier. I used strips of maple for the rim (also laminated) oak would have been easier though. No steaming, no soaking, but a lot of clean up with sand paper...

: I just finished up the frame of my recovery kayak...except for the coaming.
: The creation of this final piece is seeming to be the most daunting task
: so far. I am having trouble finding good bending stock to work with. I
: found a perfectly sized strip of oak at Lowes, and figured I'd try steam
: bending it, but I have very low hopes as I am sure it's kiln dried and not
: the best choice of wood. Where do you you find the material for this
: piece? Any tips for the best possible chance of success? Also, if I can't
: find good bending stock, might it be better to try and laminate the
: coaming?

: Thanks for any suggestions!

: Erin