: Just getting ready to start my Black Pearl. I'm pretty sure that
: strip length has been discussed ad nauseum here but it's not
: really an easy topic to search.

: Here's my situation. I have a radial arm saw in a work room that
: can accommodate 8' planks. Any longer and they can't be fed
: through the saw. Ripping them with this saw will be so darn easy
: - much so than with the circular saw/jig method.

: In Schade's book he says that using shorter planks - 6'-8' - can be
: preferable to longer ones. I will be painting my boat so I'm not
: worried about the visibility of the joins. My question is there
: any real reason NOT to go with shorter strips. I'm guessing that
: you will need to make sure that your joints do not interfere
: with the fairing of the strips but I'm sure this can easily be
:

: Any tips/suggestions/warnings?

: Sean

Hi Sean,There are a lot of scarfs some good some bad, the weakest is the but joint(never use it) then the diagonal across the face that is so so IMHO the best is across the face of the strip(most surface contact). I buy my planks 2/3 length of boat and use a modified version of Nick's
belt sander trick, also built a jig(jigs are good) to give me at least 7:1 scarf or more I agree with Rob never place a scarf on a bend. If you scarf a strip 1/3 from the bow then the next scarf is 1/3 from the stern and the next is about midship, I strongly agree with John A. about using
a radial arm saw to rip thin strips, I'm an old carpenter and have seen and heard many horror stories using a radial saw, take your planks to a mill shop or a cabinet shop for a few bucks it's worth it, building kayaks is supposed to be fun so have fun and stay safe good luck Nick R.