> When the deck is stripped, you can carry it on your finger tips
> it's so light. I don't understand why people rule out pine.

Possibly because very few pine species are as light as the cedars commonly used in strip building. For those interested here's a selection of specific gravities that I got from Identifying Wood by Bruce Hoadley (sorry if I come across as sounding pedantic) :

northern white-cedar :- .31

Atlantic white-cedar :- .32

western redcedar :- .33

Engelmann spruce :- .34

eastern white pine :- .35

sugar pine :- .36

incense cedar :- .37

western white pine :- .38

redwood :- .40

ponderose pine :- .40

white, black, and Sitka spruce :- .40

eastern hemlock :- .40

red spruce & lodgepole pine :- .41

Port-Orford-cedar :- .42

Norway spruce :- .42

Alaska-cedar & red pine :- .44

western hemlock :- .44

Scots pine :- .46

eastern redcedar :- .47

Douglas-fir :- .48

shortleaf & loblolly pine :- .51

pitch pine :- .52

longleaf pine :- .58

slash pine :- .61

Pacific Yew :- .62

European Yew :- .64

The firs fall between .34 (subalpine fir) and .43 (Norway fir)

Most hardwoods average about .60 to .70

balsa :- .16 ekki :- 1.00 lignum vitae :- 1.14

Of course this is only a rough guide, as one board to the next can vary enough to justify bringing a scale if you're concerned about weight, as I am. However, upon further thought, the difference between a typical 45-50 lb. kayak made with northern white-cedar and eastern white pine is only about 6 lbs. I guess I could live with that, considering the final result (drop-dead-gorgeous kayak), and the fact that I could be milling strips by tomorrow afternoon (no more ants in the pants). If I want a lighter kayak, then I'll just have to make another :-), I keep telling myself: first walk, then run. I'm sold - thanks guys. Sometimes I wish I'd use it more often! :-)

Oh yeah, btw, does anybody have experience with epoxy/glass on top of stained wood? I'll want to tone it down a little.

Thanks again!

Mike Spence