I live in the land of red and yellow cedar and have used both for gunnels on skin on frame kayaks . They both work but my favourite gunnel wood is spruce from the 1 x 4 pile , less splitty than red cedar , more uniform and cheaper than yellow. It doesn't have to be knot free in approx 2.5 - 3" width . With some sorting through the 1 x 4" pile you can find wood that follows the grain fairly well , usually I scarf 2 pieces to get full length gunnels.

Don't get hung up on red cedar which is marginal for gunnels in my opinion , once you start drilling holes in it or mortising it is further weakening an already split prone, weaker wood , good for chines though which are lashed in place. Use what you can get , fir , pine , spruce all good. Chines and keelson are more important to be clear than gunnels.

: I'll be building two skin on frame kayaks and need some clear cedar
: for gunwales. No where in Manitoba have I been able to find a
: piece of clear cedar suitable for gunwales. I have purchased
: some clear, but bad, 2 x 6 clear cedar that I've spent many
: hours resawing and then scarf joining to get what I need.
: They're okay but I'd prefer a single piece for a gunwale......

: Near the end of June I'll be traveling to Edmonton AB from Brandon
: MB. I'll be taking the Yellowhead route.....Brandon, Regina,
: Saskatoon and then Edmonton. Does anyone know a source of clear
: cedar along this route?

: Thanks,
: Bill