: I have, and LOVE, the Ridgid 13" planer. It is great for
: dimensioning my own stuff, but I don't use it for strips. I just
: rip the strips to thickness. Usually you can get them well
: enough with a proper table saw setup.

: If you do decide to thickness the strips, you shouldn't take more
: than 1/64th at a time. The strips flex and if you try to take
: too much at a time they flex into the cutter head and are
: destroyed.

I don't have a thickness planer although I have access to one, but I get adequate results running the strips through a table router rigged for thickness planing. If you try this it's important to note the strip feed direction is reversed from normal, as the strips pass between the fence and the bit. Use fingerboards before and after the bit, above and against the side, as the thin strips tend to squirm. The finish is not as smooth as a thickness planer but it doesn't have to be as the boat will be sanded inside and out . . .

A table router isn't a precision tool, so to set the space between the fence and bit I use a spacer, such as a short length of Aluminum strip of the required thickness.