From: "James Mitchell" <mariner@seanet.com>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Subject: Re: baidarka Questions re: ribs & materials
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 23:20:32 -0700
Glen, I really suggest trying yellow cedar for ribs, if you can get it. I
cut mine 3/4" wide, then plane them down to 1/4".
You can use just about anything for the gunwales and keel, so long as the
grain is right (straight, long, quartered) -- Wolfgang has an excellent
description of this, which should be heeded!!! We have used pine, douglas
fir, sitka spruce, and yellow cedar. Main differences will be weight and
flexibility, which is why I stick to redcedar. But gosh, it should be
available just about everywhere. If nothing else, look for redcedar 2x2's
in your local lumber yard; 16 feet will make a 17'-6" hull. They are
usually pretty good grain, as any knots would cause them to break at that
length. And they are cheap! I would look for two that are very evenly
matched for the gunwales, and then rip them with 1/2" clean on one side.
Plane the larger section down to 3/4, then split the 1/2" again for
stringers. Better plan, of course, is to take gunwales and keel from one
2x4 or 2x6 piece; but this other will work in a pinch.
Edensaw in Port Townsend, and Flounder Bay in Anacortes, both have good
kayak wood. Both are on the net, and both ship.
----- Original Message -----
From: Milo <milo@hallucigenia.swarthmore.edu>
To: <baidarka@lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Friday, August 06, 1999 6:30 PM
Subject: baidarka Questions re: ribs & materials
I'm beginning a project to build a baidarka using Brinck's book as a
guide and am starting to gather the materials (or think about gathering
them...). Anyway, he uses willow shoots for the ribs in his boats and
it won't be terribly easy for me to find them where I live, so I'm
thinking about using some other kind of wood and am wondering what other
type of wood I should use and what size to make the pieces. Should I
cut them from some wood like ash or spruce, then shape them round like
Brinck does for the hull stringers?
On another subject, I have inherited a small wood shop with a selection
of lumber and am wondering how you identify different types of wood. Is
there a particular book I should look at? Several of the boards look to
be about the right length for a 17' boat, so I might get away with using
those since they are of high grade (were intended for furniture
building, I believe).
Thanks, Glenn Stauffer