: Interesting approach - have you built in this manner before? I'd
: expect seam breakdown, without the glass, on a stripper, over
: time. (Lot's of disclaimers in that one, eh?)

It's more of a demonstrator really, and is close to the way small canoes were built more than a hundred years ago, but I used glue to attach the strips to the ribs instead of canoe tacks. I don't see any reason why changing from fasteners to glue should impair boat durability, but since the glue is not epoxy I won't leave it in the water for days on end or use it for long trips.

I increased rib spacing from the traditional 2" or 3" to 7" (1" = 2.54 cm) and laminated softwood was used instead of steamed hardwood, sized for the same overall stiffness. Without the thwart the boat is about as stiff as comparable plywood boats I have built. I used 1/16" x 7/8" whithies (used for basket making - very strong in tension) instead of ribs near the stem as an experiment; they were far easier and quicker to make than the ribs and very simple to fit; in a new boat I would consider using wider rib spacing ro reduce rib count and add several of the straps between the ribs to strengthen the seams.

I built the boat to evaluate the building method, which used just a short strongback and no station forms - the ribs defined the shape. Material cost and actual building time were low; although stripping time was longer due to adding the strips one layer at a time there are less of them than usual.

Thanks for the interest.