Hi,

I used 8 foot strips on my two kayaks, both around 16 feet, and they work fine, especially if you keep track of the color of strips as you rip them. I don't bother with scarfed joints either, and as long as you stagger the joints, it works fine. Many of the strips will not need to be 8 feet long anyway by the time you consider how you lay out the strips. I would not hesitate to use short strips again.

One caution is that the first strips you lay on the sheer line of your hull should be continuous to ensure that they bend fairly along the sheer line, and the first couple strips after that should be bent carefully to avoid pulling the initial strip out of its fair line. On the first strips along the sheer line, scarf joints would be a good idea. Use a jig to make sure that they set up straight.

Start stripping!

Allan Edie