Hi John,

I have been using 3mm lauan "doorskins" for making kayaks (over a dozen) with good results. I would not recommend lauan for use on a "tortured plywood" design (like a Yare) where the panels are subjected to high initial stress. The panels will tolerate bends and compound bends. Inspect the core (for voids) of each piece after it has been cut out. Don't use any obviously flawed pieces in critical areas - at the price of lauan turf it and cut another. The 3mm sheets seems to have a better core than the 5mm - I guess being that thin they have to be.

If the kayak is going to receive fairly heavy duty use I put one layer of 3 oz glass on the inside of the kayak and two layers on the outside. On light 'yaks I put only one layer of 3 oz glass on the outside.

I use butt joints on my panels and reinforce the joint (bottom and sides in the cockpit area) with an extra layer of lauan about 4 feet long epoxied in place.

If I am experimenting with a new hull design (like the one I taped last night) it is faster and cheaper to skip the fiberglass cloth and just tape the seams. Two coats of epoxy for waterproofing and she gets floated - the cloth can always be added later.

Hope this helps.

Hank