Just about decided to hybridize the Diva Kayak I am about to start building with a strip deck. Question is do I need full boat length strips? Or, can I use shorter strips letting them end in where the cockpit opening will be? Letting them extend past the cockpit opening to be trimmed latter. Or does that present a problem? The only photos I have ever seen show full length strips completely covering the cockpit opening.

Reason I ask is I have some nice looking WRC I salvaged and would like to use. But, it is all in 8 to 10 foot lengths. It is 4x4's and a couple of big slabs that were used as a diving board. I will have to resaw these into planks and then into strips.

I could resaw and scarf them to length but then I wonder about the scarf joint showing. Plus they might end up lining up at the same place in the boat. But thats another issue.

Now a WHAT IF question. Since I haven't decided on what pattern I am going to lay the strips in, maybe I could come up with a design that had a breaking point so that I could use the shorter strips and still fully cover the cockpit if I need too? That would solve the problem I guess.