Hey all:

I'm brand new to building kayaks. My kit should arrive in a week, or so, and I'm wondering about using some hardwood veneer on the deck side panels. I'd like to have a dark wood along the outside edge of the deck, and I thought a veneer might make a better job of it rather than trying to duplicate the panels in an exotic hardwood ply or solid wood.

I'm wondering if anyone has tried this, or if anyone can perceive a problem since the panels will be approx. 1/16" thicker than the adjacent panels. Will the thicker panels be a problem when aligning the deck panels? Will there be a raised surface after glue up? Obviously, I won't be able to sand or plane much of the wood if the surfaces aren't even.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Jason