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HighPlainsDrifter	10/20/2011 09:35PM   I used some flat grain strips in my Merlin and plan to use some flat grain in my Ranger. I am pumped on how I will be using the flat grain on my Ranger. If it works, it will be sweet. Flat grain can be tough to work in the bilge area. Especially when working the inside. The tough flat can cause you to dig into adjacent edge grain (softer) I used 2 strips of flat grain (very dark cedar in this photo) along the keel line. No problem (if careful with sanding and no problem with wavy glass). I had big problems sanding the single strip of flat grain (which was adjacent to edge grains) in the bilge area. It was then time to put down the random orbital. Get out the long board and custom made sanding blocks....... a cold brew helps too :)
HighPlainsDrifter	10/19/2011 09:02PM   Is that actually 2" x 12" or 1 and 5/8 by 11 something? Either way you need to think of the most efficient cut to get the most wood. If you cut 1/4 strips off the plank, then you can rip each of those in 1/2 to get something close to 3/4 wide..... there is nothing wrong with 7/8" wide if that plank measures 2" thick.
tumblehome	10/19/2011 09:20PM   You do not need 70 strips that are all full length. You probably need about 36 strips that are full length and they get shorter as you finish up the canoe. Therefore, you don't need to have completely clear lumber all the way through. Where a knot makes a strip weak, you can break it and use it where it can be used. When you're looking for lumber, any dimension of lumber can be cut so that you end up with strips for a canoe. It can by 1" thick lumber, 2" thick lumber 4" thick lumber, it does not matter. However.... 1" lumber is the easiest to work with and needs the least amount of work to make strips. 3/4" high strips are the most common but if you must, they can be less than or more than 3/4" high. It doesn't matter, they all work and are all beautiful. The most important part of a strip is the grain pattern. It matters because flat grain strips are very hard to sand smooth due to the variations in the hardness of the wood between the rings of growth. Now that I've confused you I'll try to explain what I mean. Take a strip and lay it on the ground. The growth rings visible on the end of the strip should be vertical up and down or near vertical. This is a vertical grain strip and is what you want for your boat. The grain pattern can even be 45' from vertical and it will still work very well. If you lay the strip on the ground and the rings on the end of the strip are horizontal or nearly horizontal, this is a flat grain strip. These are a real bear to sand smooth and you will end up with a wavy fiberglass lay-up due to the inability to get all the strips sanded smooth with each other. When you look for lumber to buy, ask for 'D and better' lumber. Menards is not the place to ask this question, I'm talking about lumber yards that cater to a smaller crowd. D and better lumber is mostly clear lumber with some occasional knots. 'A and better' lumber is the best of the best and you pay the very highest rediculus prices for it. Tom
Cedarboy	10/19/2011 09:59AM   Around 70 strips at 17-18 feet long. Just run a tape measure starting at the top of center of the boat at the gunwale, going done around the bottom of the boat back up to the other gunwale. Then what length of boat? Multiply, that will give you the area of strips. Good ruff estimate. More or less depends also on upswing of bow and stern. But this gets you close. CB
mbeyer	10/19/2011 10:45AM   Can I start with a 2" x 12" board??
bcon2011	10/19/2011 10:59AM   My daughter and I built one, starting on a second with my middle girl. I am not sure what you mean by starting with 3/4 then cut to 1/4. I'm pretty sure we just cut them 1/4 wide to start with. We used 1X not 2X lumber, for what it is worth.
mbeyer	10/19/2011 09:32AM   Looking around to find out how many strips I need? Building pretty standard canoe. What length board should I start with? Cut to 3/4" then cut to 1/4" I'm sure this subject has been covered...just can't find it.