George Roberts uses plywood strips for the lowermost portions of some of his kayaks, where the greatest risk of puncture is. But for the most part, the wood doesn't have to be very strong. The fiberglass and epoxy do the lion's share of the work. The wood is just a spacer -- you could acutally build one out of foam strips if you wanted to, but it wouldn't be nearly as nice-looking.

Fairing the boat would be very difficult, with the plies being only ~1/16" thick. Going with thinner plywood would make the boat much weaker, because the layers of 'glass are closer together.

I have some pretty clear 15' white cedar in a kiln right now waiting to be cut and assembled on my forms. I think I'm getting a pretty good deal at $3/board foot, which is about $135 for the whole boat. Good wood can be found if you look for it. Pine is heavier, but easier to find in long, clear lengths.

Dean

> So, _has_ anyone used 1/4" marine plywood, cut into 1/2" wide
> strips, to build a stripper? I could see a problem if you end up sanding
> through the outer laminant while smoothing the hull prior to glassing, but
> maybe that would just be aesthetically unpleasing. Seems like plywood
> would be very strong and not as prone to weak spots (knots and other
> anisotropies) as strips cut from solid wood. Of course it may be denser
> because of the glue used to build the plywood sheet, but perhaps one could
> compensate by using thinner plywood.

> I dunno, just with clear lumber getting harder to find it might be worth
> considering.

> bem