Thanks for the replies. The first scarf I tried I did through the width, but I had calculated the length based on the 5/8" thickness. So the scarf is only 5:1.... I might glue it up with epoxy and see if it holds. Or could I move the boards and lengthen the joint by re-planing?

I tried a second one today going through the thickness. I started by planing the top board till I got a good angle so that the plane would ride smoothly onto the bottom board. Things went well at first, but then I reached a point where I couldn't get the blade to cut any deeper (in spite of re-sharpening and playing with the blade extension). I canted the plane at an angle to the length of the boards, but I ended up "scalloping" the middle of the top board, for lack of a better way of describing it. The middle of the top board is deeper than the rest of the cut. Not sure what how to fix that one. I guess I should have bought some more cheap furring strips to practice on. I did one on furring strip that turned out pretty good. Of course, that's the best one so far....

Thanks again for the information. I'll either end up with gunwales or cedar shavings. Anyone have a hamster?

Eric