Now that I'm stitching the hull of the Coho for my stepfather's daughter (for those of you who remember the discussion from last month-- the acetone wash & scraping did remove the epoxy resin he'd put on the panels, and the butt joints came out fine)..... my thoughts are turning to my 'next project' -- a woodstrip canoe. I'm well supplied with books -- I've got Nick's book on kayak construction, plus both Canoecraft and Kayakcraft by Ted Moores, and Building a Strip Canoe by Gil Gilpatrick.

I'm wondering about the merits of strongback designs: Gilpatrick shows a strongback that is shaped like a ladder (built of 2x6 lumber sides with 2x4 "rungs") laid across sawhorses. The other books describe a box beam construction from plywood, and you build legs to support it.

Your thoughts/experiences about which is better? Other designs? Drawbacks? Things to look out for? I'm not looking to build the "ultimate strongback" (i.e. I'm not looking for one that will become living room furniture or convert into a dining table!)-- ease of construction (I did NOT take shop in high school), versatility (if I build more boats, I only want to build one stongback), and functionality are the key.

Thanks --

Julie