Doug,

Good question. I don’t have a good answer yet, but plan to shed some additional light on the topic soon. Off-hand, the answer depends on your philosophy, greatest fears, and the strip style you intend to use. If you are a believer in the “wood is not structural” school of thought, then fibers parallel and perpendicular to the keel line make sense. If you believe that the strips can contribute to the structure, then other fiber orientations may make sense; perhaps ‘unidirectional’ cloth (yes, it does exist, 80-90%warp, 20-10%weft) laid perpendicular to the keel would be a good idea. If you are most afraid of getting a hole in your boat, then you might like buy lots of glass and epoxy, and not much wood.

I’m sure you will receive plenty of recommendations here. It is my feeling that most thought on this is still evolving, and that the majority of experience shows that a lay-up as you described on the North-Star will serve fine.

Sam