Glen and all,
Would you agree that the Gougeon Brother's On Boat construction book,
when discussing wood strip composites, talks only about small boats,
canoes,etc? I think they mentioned that further research was needed
and you have apparently done some of that.
Also, MacNaughtons are the only people that I am aware who have done any
published work on scaling up the scantlings that the Gougeons initially
offered. I'm curious to know if there are any other published testing
data that you know of?

When scaling up to thicker strips, edge nailing is frequently used to
hold things in place. I think MacNaughton mentions that the nails are
not a structural element in the finished monocoque shell.
I'm not disagreeing with what you are saying. But I just wonder how
scaling from a canoe with a 1/4 inch strip thickness translates to a
larger boat of, say, 3/4 inch thickness. It seems that most of the
larger strip built boats have structural bulkheads which may come into play.

Possibly bead and cove milling, rather than square edge strips might add
enough sheer load resistance to warrant using yellow glue.
My preference on small boats is to use epoxy with micro balloons to make
sanding easier. Without the microballons the epoxy is harder than the
cedar and is difficult to sand fair.
But yellow glue works too and, at least on small boats, it is faster
then waiting for epoxy to kick so you can lay more strips in a session.
I've also tried powdered Plastic Resin glue but never had much luck with
it since it does not really bridge gaps too well.
Titebond II is definitely a Royal PITA to sand.Too rubbery.
On one small boat I built I used epoxy to edge glue the strips. The hull
seems very stiff and strong. But I have cracked the hull when hitting a
rock. On another small boat I built I used yellow glue and the hull
seems more flexible and has a "dead" sound when tapped. But I have never
cracked this hull even though I've given it some rough use. It's also
only 3/16 inch thick. Mabey flexibility is a good thing.

Glenn Ashmore wrote:
I just cannot believe how many people will do ANYTHING to avoid spending
$50 for some epoxy. Enough 1/4" clear cedar strip for a decent size
dinghy or canoe will cost you at least $500.00. Do you really want to
risk that investment and your labor to save $40 or $50?

The strips are not there just to hold the glass. They provide
longitudinal stiffness. They must transfer shear loads between the two
composite skins. And they must spread impact loads. Individual strips
are not capable of doing any of those things. They have to be well
bonded together so they can act in unison. Hot melt glue is not going to
that. Liquid Nails might hold the strips together but the assembly will
not be very stiff and fairing will be a royal PITA.

You need a glue that maintains a tight stiff bond in a varying width
glue line (gap filling), does not require high clamping pressure and
that can be sanded fair without gumming up the paper. There is only one
glue commonly available to amateur boat builders that will do that: Epoxy.

Thickened epoxy is gap filling, bonds extremely well, requires minimal
clamping pressure so staples are all that is needed and it fairs cleanly.

Resorcinol would be a second choice. It would be a little less costly
but requires careful fitting to eliminate any gaps and a lot of clamping
pressure. Staples will not do it. You could only add one strip to each
side per day. Same with polyurethanes only your total cost will be more
than epoxy.

There are people on this newsgroup that will advocate anything from
wallpaper paste to curtain liner to save money but trying to save $50 on
adheasive on a $700 project is penny wise and pound foolish.

KR & CA Hunter wrote:

Has anybody bought and built from a Compumarine plan? If so, could you
advise your experiences? I would like my next boat project to be a cedar
strip row/power boat and the John Clark plans look Ok on the web, but
they
seem a bit expensive for what are essentially a set of hull templates.

Also, can anybody advise on what type(s) of glue are suitable for cedar
strip construction. Builders adhesive has been suggested. Here in
Australia the "Liquid Nails" product is sometimes referred to as builders
glue. Does anyone know whether this is the same product?

I would prefer to build without fasteners if possible, so any
experience out
there would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

Ken