As kits and plans for cedar-strip boat construction grow more accessible to aspiring boatbuilders, we have installed elaborate automated machinery in our Annapolis factory to produce first-rate bead-and-cove cedar strips at reasonable prices. Our strips are made to very tight tolerances, always of uniform thicknesses and with precisely cut beads and coves for smooth hulls. These are the same strips we use for our display boats. Cedar strip dimensions are 3/4" (18mm) wide and 1/4" (6mm) thick. Strips are $0.50/foot. Boatbuilders assembling Guillemot kayaks from plans will use these strips. Strips come in 6-8 foot lengths, and may be simply butted or scarfed to length as required by the design. CLC kayak designs like the Chesapeakes and Mill Creeks, with their cambered decks, are natural subjects for conversion. The formula is simple and the carpentry straightforward. You'll need a sheet or two of disposable particle board, the "sheer clamp planing guides" from your kit, and a bundle of strips in contrasting colors. Click here to see instructions for converting CLC kits to hybrid decks. We will try to accommodate special requirements for colors upon your request. No two trees are alike so colors will vary wildly along a spectrum from very dark to very light. Like a fish market, what we have depends on what the truck unloads each week. An average pile of western red cedar strips will give you an attractive pile of strips varying from dark to medium-dark. For very light colored strips, we are currently (Fall 2008) using Alaskan white cedar, though we sometimes use northern white cedar.
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