: Uh oh - could you give more examples? I've built 2 s&g's, 2
: strippers, and in my pre-construction research for those could
: generally find opposing viewpoints at nearly every step of the
: process. I was hoping to just use one book for my first SOF, and
: not really open the whole thing up for debate, but maybe I
: should soften my stance. I would certainly like to switch to a
: 5/16" rib, thinned to fit a 1/4" mortise.

I have studied a historic kayak in person, and have detail photos of others. The historic boats I have seen have had the feature of thick ribs that thin at the bend. If I had a photo-sharing account... If you see enough kayaks, historic or otherwise, you will see ribs that have bent into a "W" shape, and/or have broken at the keel. This is the case in historic kayaks, but usually you can't tell if it's because of their post-collection care. It is really common in kayaks with 1/4" ribs. A 3/8 rib across the flat is much less likely to have this happen. It's the weak part of a rib- the curves are strong, and the tenon is reinforced by the mortise.

I would definitely recommend comparing different books so that the idiosyncrasies stand out. I find that a lot of Cunningham's book deals with building jigs, which is great unless you want to build a kayak... With the exception of H. C. Petersen's, I like Mark Starr's book the best of the available texts. Petersen is a great book, by far my favorite, but if you aren't familiar with the process it seems to me that it would be very difficult to use as a primary guide. It's almost all about design/process and doesn't discuss the woodworking at all, and is all about traditional.

Just like the originals- everybody does their own version, to meet their own needs or the ways they feel comfortable building. All of the books are valid, all of them are true. Do it how you feel most comfortable.

m