: I am seriously contemplating building the Black Pearl. Having
: completed a S&G and a SOF within the past year, I'm thinking
: that a strip boat would round out the building experience.

Great boat! I'm on my fourth. As an option, you could also build it out of plywood. I know of several overseas. The builders set up the forms like normal and then "stripped" it with sheets of plywood. Check Bjorn's site. There should be a few links.

: My question is whether pine is a suitable material for a strip
: boat? I'm guessing it may be slightly heavier than WRC but not
: by much. The cost of buying clear WRC is not prohibitive - it's
: just not easy to find around here.

What pine were you thinking of using? There are many different softwoods that are called pine. Depending one where you live they run the gamut of weight and suitability. I've used pinus strobus (Eastern White Pine) on a few kayaks. It's quite close to Western Redcedar in weight and workability. It's one of the least resinous pines also. It's a traditional boat timber (think large masts on old schooners). Around the Great Lakes through New England you can also come across pinus resinosa (Norway or red pine). It's slightly heavier. The western pines are similar. Personally you'd be asking for trouble with the southern yellows: p echinata (shortleaf), p palustris (longleaf), p taeda (loblolly), and p elliotii (slash). Highest density of the US pines, splintery, and usually full of resin.