> I am finishing up a double kayak right now and have the urge to build
> another! I want to do the next on a budget and am wondering if people have
> used or know anything about using 1/8" meranti plywood. the lumber
> yard tells me this is the same as luan plywood. I looked at some and it
> looked pretty good. Is 1/8" thick enough? I would be building a
> single something along the lines of a Greenland style or Arctic Tern.
> Thanks, Tom

Tom,

1/8" thick plywood is thick enough if you use the right layup of glass. I did this with my plywood version of the Walrus(a Greenland style kayak) and it worked great. I used 1/8" mahogany plywood(not marine grade) from my local lumberyard and multiple layers of 3.25 oz glass. It bent nicely and I only found one void a little larger than the head of a pin. It feels as strong as my Pygmy with 4mm okkume and 6 oz. glass.

I think CLC's yare is also designed to be made from 3mm(1/8") okkume.

I've heard that meranti is stiffer than okkume, but in a thinner version you should be able to bend it enough.

Mike