First time kayak builder here, About half way through the hull of a Great Auk. I have planned to make a pinstriped deck area fore and aft of the cockpit. I want to alternate light cedar, Padauk, and figured maple. I understand that I will add some weight using hardwood, but it's not much. Almost all the strips will be flat and straight. I read in another post about some hardwoods causing problems with adhesion. I hadn't thought about that. Am I asking for trouble using figured maple? I was only thinking of the sanding issues of dishing out the softer cedar between the hardwoods. Any tips for that process as well?

The pic shows loose strips in the intended orientation.