> Hi All,

> I have been preparing make to my first strip style kayak - a Guillemot. I
> went to the Home Depot to pick up a sheet of plywood for making the forms
> and happened to notice an incredibly clear piece of 2x6 x 10' of spruce. I
> wasn't long in going through the whole stack and found 5 more exceptional
> pieces of wood. For under $6.00 a plank I could not resist bring them
> home. Lots of uses for such wood but I started thinking of doing the kayak
> in spruce. I should be able to get enough strips out of six 2x6 x 10 foot
> planks to strip a kayak - especially with a couple of cedar planks thrown
> in for contrast.

First Mike finds cheap cedar, now you get a deal on spruce. Feel like I'm missing out somehow! (Actually, I stripped half of my kayak with a clear cedar 4x4 that was lying in the backyard when I bought my house).

> I remember a discussion a while back about using spruce for a kayak.
> Spruce, finished with resin and varnish has a beautiful golden glow - a
> golden kayak with dark accents stripes would be nice.

> Has anybody made a kayak from spruce strips?

Hmm...I remember a Scandinavian builder building a boat with all blond wood; might've been birch, though. I think the lighter areas on Nick's Expedition Single on the cover of The Strip Built Sea Kayak are spruce.

I plan to use it for major areas on my deck along with redwood. The hull is all cedar.

> Any thoughts, suggestions or reservations about using spruce?

It's probably a bit heavier. It might be a bit more brittle, but redwood is more brittle, and people use it for a lot of stripping.

> Spruce is a bit heavier than cedar but it is stronger - how thin could
> spruce strips be?

Depends on your stripping skill! You could probably use 1/8" strips, but I'd add another layer of glass, if I went that thin.

> Considering that this is my first strip style kayak I might be wise to
> stay with 1/4 inch thick strips.

> Moving from plywood to strips is going to be fun. I will probably have
> many questions but I know that I can count on the group for support...
> group support... support group... Hello my name is Hank and I have an
> addiction...

Everyone: "Hi Hank"

Shawn