: If I can get pieces that rip with nice grain, is there any reason I
: can't make ribs and coaming from fir?

I second Paul's post. Laminated fir would make good structure anywhere in a boat. It is rot resistant in salt water. It is strong. It glues well. Its main drawback is that it is heavier than WRC or spruce. I ripped some fir to make a coaming, laminated from thin strips. It will be strong and good looking too. A 2x3 'stud' from the big box that had good clear grain. I resawed to about kerf thickness. $1.84 seems fair to me.

Regards,
Michael