Thanks,

: Why are the gunwales so short? I've never built a baidarka. Is that one of
: their attributes? I would make them as tall as your design allows. I think
: that 7/8 is a great dimension on the width. I've generally been restricted to
: what I get when I saw a 2/4 in half.

Don't know. I think Wolfgang Brinck has a shop in Alameda. I'm in San
Francisco and will try to stop by his place and ask.

: Once you put the skin on
: and it is properly shrunk it compresses the entire assembly and it is very
: tough. Douglas Fir, while split-prone, is very tough. Once you make it through
: the construction process it will give good end results.

That's what I was hoping to hear. Would much rather have it split in the
shop than in the water after the skin is on. I've done some gluing of wood with
epoxy and have had good luck (so far).