: My last kayak has a coaming steam bent of southern yellow pine...
: maybe not optimum, but ya do what ya gotta do... considering
: your post, I'm definitely gonna try spruce for ribs in the next
: one. I've been using spruce for stem boards, and I am
: re-skinning a year old kayak with spruce stems used hard and put
: up wet, and the stem boards are in great shape, and I don't
: think they ever really dried out in between paddles -- the ends
: were damp when I cut the skin off, and had been sitting on the
: rack for nearly a month. Had no oil or varnish either, just
: plain wood. It's pretty difficult finding the hardwood with
: requisite grain around here, but I can get good grain in spruce
: or pine everywhere. Neither are supposed to be very rot
: resistant woods.

Thanks for the info. Are you on fresh or salt water? I'm wondering if like canvas that should be a consideration when chosing wood. I'm hoping that being on salt water the kayak will have a good life; maybe not so if I was on a lake. Even crossed my mind to fill the boat after paddling to get the salt water into the wood. I've found thin branches on the ocean floor and they're tough to break and beautiful. That said though, they also sink :( Like you I am limited to pine $$$$$ or spruce $. Anything else is a three and a half hour drive one way. In a pickup that's quite costly. I think I will stick with oil for myself but if I'm building a boat for someone else i'll find out if they'll be using it on the ocean or in the pond (lake).