Hey folks, quick question - I'm in AK, and the lumber I got locally is white spruce with plenty of knots in it. "We don't have clear lumber", the guy said. SO. Do I have to cut out and scarf at every knot? Or are ones on the edges more ok, are small ones ok, anything like that? I feel like if I cut them all out, losing 8-10 inches each time, I'll have about 4 feet left of 16. They are 1x3 at this point. Help?

Should I just get new lumber from the big national corporation?

This is my first kayak and wood project. Just trying to figure stuff out, and I've just got hand tools. Thanks!