: : Hi George: I read your page and your many innovative ideas for the stich and glue boats are tempting.......but how light can a boat be made and still be a 'real' ocean boat? The greatest wieght savings could be had by using 2mm ocoume.....but shooting through 5 foot breakers with a 2mm boat is the stuff of nightmares! Can you speak of any failures due to deliberate under-building? This boat building is great fun! Take care and God Bless......Rich

: Where can you find 2mm Okoume? 2mm is superior to 3mm in that it flexes more before breaking due to the higher glue/wood ratio and you can add a layer 4oz cloth and still be under the 3mm weight.

: I used to ride a 16 pound bicycle - 30,000 miles per year. I bent 1 rim a month and on any given day I could accelerate with sufficient power to break spokes. Bot I also took trips fully loaded with camping gear. The secret was in how I treated the bike.

: I will be on Lake Superior at the Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Seminar the middle of this month. I hope to paddle my 36 pound carry weight boats up (2 stitch and glue and a Guillemot Coastal) on some big water up there.

: In 5', 10', or 15' surf learn to roll as the wave breaks over you. Eskimos learned that years ago.

: ///////

: In wood strip boats I am going to move from 1/4" to 3/16" strips saves 4.5 pounds (equivalent to a 6oz fiberglass layer), because 3/16" strips bend a great deal further before seperating from the fiberglass or breaking.

I am completing a wood strip kayak. I used 1/4" thick strips. Keep in mind you have to plane and sand the kayak before fiberglassing. So it's quite possible that your kayak will be 1/8" or less in spots. Keep that in mind when you picture yourself out on the water and white caps are breaking over your bow. That 1/16" seems pretty miniscule at that point.