: Great info here on using the ROS - thanks!

: The reason I haven't switched to 3/16 strips (from 1/4) is that I
: don't want to decrease the stiffness of the hull, which
: (roughly) varies with the cube of the thickness.
: This means that a 3/16 strip is less than half as stiff as a 1/4
: strip.

The strength is in the glass not the wood. There have been a number of tests done
comparing 1/4" wood and 3/16" wood covered with the same glass lay-ups and the
difference is not big. 1/4" is stiffer but 3/16" flexes and breaks at nearly
the same impact as 1/4". I've been using 3/16" strips and glass for twenty plus
years in rocky waters without a problem.

: Also, ripping thinner strips requires more precision as the same
: error (say 1/64 or 1/32 variance) will make a bigger difference
: to strip stiffness.

If you press your board against your saw fence with your left hand, holding the butt end of a push stick
against your board and feed the board into the saw with your right hand, you will have very consistant
strip thickness, if you've also set-up feed tables correctly. This is not hard and should be covered in any
strip building instructions you buy. If you like I can post a more detailed excerpt from my book on this.

: Also, I'm not expert enough to be confident using 3/16 strips - I
: only have 10 strip boats under my belt.
: For the very small weight difference, I'm happy to leave the
: thinner strips to experts.

Wow! Only 10 boats.

I built my first stripper with 3/16" strips and 1/4" strips look like 2 x 4s to me.

You should give it a try. You'll be surprised at how much easier the strips are to twist and bend and
place right where you want them.

If you think 3/16" strips are easier to sand right through, try making a panel from them and
see how long it takes to sand through with a ROS and 60 grit IF you hold that sander flat
against the wood.

On your next boat strip a test section across one or two stations using 3/16" strips and 1/8" strips.

Sand them with 60 grit and a ROS and glass them, just as a test.

I bet you'll look at those 1/4" strips differently after that.

Have fun!

Rob