: After a few months of dreaming about building a kayak and learning how to
: paddle I have finally ordered plans for a Guillemot L. My first question
: is what would be the BEST material to use for forms. I may build a second
: or third boat and would like the forms to hold up. Should I use 1/2 or 3/4
: thick materal. Should I use plywood, baltic birch plywood, MDF or particle
: board.
: Thank You,
: Mike Boren

Hi Mike

The absolute best material would be 3/4" fir plywood. It will take staples, screws, the torque of bending strips around and if you decide to go stapless, then you can groove one side of the plywood for some spring clamps to grab into and it will hold very well. The particle boards tend to break up with use, as does the MDF ( basically just a denser p.b. ) and the 1/2" plywood tends to be just a tad too flexible when bending things around. Also is a smaller target for stapling. You could go with a CDX grade DF and still keep in a good budget
or go up to an ACX grade and that will give you a good side to do all your markings and make notes. I would also recommend the 3/4" DF plywood if you plan on making an internal strongback. Although there is a strong contingient of metal workers out there that will fight you tooth and nail to get you to use the metal studs. Either way will suffice. Welcome aboard and keep us informed of your progress.

Rehd