: While working for the US Navy many years ago, I experimented with using
: bamboo to replace steel reinforcing in concrete bridge stuctures for use
: in areas where steel is in short supply but bamboo is plentiful, ie
: Southeast Asia. Bamboo provided very good tensile reinforcement. How about
: using it as a framework for a fabric skin kayak.

Timber bamboo is plentiful in Asia, but expansive in N America. Most cum has thin wall (1/4 to 1/2 inch.) Bamboo has to be hand splitted, which drives up the cost. Conclusion: bamboo may work in the Far East, but don't hold your hope up in America.