Hi Will,

The prices that I am quoting are in Canadian dollars - the exchange and the shipping costs make importing very expensive. I will look into it a bit deeper though.

The 1/8" birch is available locally and I am trying to get an idea how it would be for kayaks. A comparison between okoume, birch and lauan for weight, stiffness, strength - advantages/disadvantages etc. You know - the stuff that comes from experience.

I was thinking that the 1/8" birch might be stronger for the sides and bottom but I am concerned it will be a lot heavier. The varnished birch would be a light golden color that would contrast nicely to a darker lauan deck.

I am currently using reinforced 3 mm luaun for my kayaks with no problems. I like the light weight, it is easy to work, finishes well, nice color and the cost low. Reinforced and finished with fiberglass, it is durable enough for general use. The quality of the core used on the 3mm is much better than the 5 mm. On the negative side, you have to watch that you don't raise splinters on the edges and it is easily marked until it is fiberglassed.

I will try the birch unless I get some cautions about using it.

Thanks for your input.