: hi all,
: As a relative newcomer to this building game, having built only a
: sof baidarka and a sof greenlander so far, I was wondering if
: there is any merit in building a traditional frame with a few
: less ribs and then stripping it with cedar strips. Glued, of
: course.
: Let me explain; i believe i have reached my bodys upper tolerance
: level for fiberglass resin and fiberglass fumes, etc., I get a
: bad reaction so i do not want to go anywhere near the stuff
: again. That rules out a typical stripper. or S&G.
: The boat would possibly be twice the weight of an average sof boat
: but i don't mind.
: Instead of fibreglassing the exterior, the inherent strength of the
: frame coupled with the strips leads me to think that merely
: oiling it would suffice (or a few coats of spar varnish). Yay?
: or nay?
: It would be used in the ocean and probably never touch a rock or
: branch in its life.
: I am open to any suggestions, tips, rebukes, warnings, etc.

: Please bear with me if this has all been discussed before. If it
: has, perhaps someone could direct me to the relevant archives.

: Thanks in advance,
: Tippy

Hi Tippy,
Short answer, aye.
A bit longer. What you describe is an older method of building a "strip" or glued plank boat. It is a transitional method between a caulked plank hull and a epoxy strip hull.

An alternative method would be S&G with chine logs which join the planks without needing epoxy as a glue. Using marine grade ply (if it still exists) there is no need to epoxy seal the ply, just paint or varnish, mainly for looks as a kayak doesn't stay wet.

If you go ahead with it, take photos please. It's good to see visual examples of alternative build methods.

Mike Savage
South West Cork