: . . . I have seen that some recommend adding
: a few full-length strips at the keel, after doing some strips
: from each side's sheer line. You then keep stripping and you end
: up closing two "semi-football" shaped holes, either
: side of the keel, at the end.

: The other approach, which is conceptually simpler, is just strip
: all the way from the shear lines until you end up with a footbal
: at the center of the hull to close up. I would use alternating
: strips (herringbone?).

: I was wondering of there is an advantage to one way over the other?
: Is it strictly a cosmetic difference?
: Any thoughts?

There is a third way, and it may be simpler , and much faster.

First, assume that you are going to have a football-shaped area on the bottom of the boat.

Then, establish a keel strip along the center of the bottom of the hull. Get it straight. Let it hang over the ends. Now take straight strips (bead-and-cove or square-edged strips work equally well here) and edge glue them to each side of the keel strip. let their ends run off, over the end of the boat. You can use shorter strips as you approach the widest part of the hull. You can do all the strips for the bottom in one day (with or without staples) as there is very little fitting involved, and the work is fairly flat.

Once the glue has hardened, use a long strip to define the football area of the bottom., and draw a pencil line to define the shape. Do one side, then repeat for the other side. ou may need a friend to help hold the strip in place while you draw along it.

Cut on the line. You can use one of the new Dremel saws, or a handheld circular saw with the blade extended a fraction more than the thickness of your strips, or use a router. If you cut a bit into the forms it won't hurt anything.

You now have the football area completely stripped. Strip down from the sheer or gunwales and you just need to fit 2 to 4 strips to make the sides match the outline of your football.

The idea for this is not mine, it comes from "The Stripper's Guide to Canoe Building", by David Hazen. The book has been around for a while, and the kayak plans in it are for bigger boats than are currently in vogue. It is more geared toward canoe builders. It was one of the first books on stripbuilding on my bookshelf, and I love it, but you can get a lot of the same information from other places too. You can search Amazon for it.

PGJ