Ref book for strip plank construction

[Garry]

Can you recommend a good boatbuilding reference on strip plank construction? There doesn't seem to be a lot out there. I did find an online article that gives a pretty good description by Ted Warren at http://www.messingaboutinboats.com/archives/mbissueseptember15-98.html

Scroll down to second article.

[Frank Hagan]

There are a few on stripper kayaks, but I wonder if they will translate well for a "regular" boat.  I have KayakCraft by Ted Moores.  Its a pretty good book, with a lot of pictures and good explanatory text.  A lot of the builders hang out at Bear Mountain Boats which is, I think, serves as a kind of unofficial support site for the people building woodstrip kayaks and canoes (Bear Mountain also sells strips already cut with the cove and bead).  I have the first edition of the book, and there are some errors on the drawings for the stem (they have corrections on the Bear Mountain site).

There's a similar book called CanoeCraft, from the same author. 

I did a short article on a Cosine Wherry built by Bob Stevenson at http://www.messing-about.com/smallboats/arbee.html.  I think the book is out of print now ... the Amazon.com listing for it has a "collector's price" for the book at Rip Strip and Row .  By the way, "Flounder's Bay Boat Lumber", linked on my page, is no longer in business. 

I think Capt. Jake built a stripper kayak from Nick Schade's book Strip Built Sea Kayak.  Nick's customers hang out at his site, http://www.kayakforum.com/.

[Garry]

Thanks, Frank, but I am looking for something specifically about larger (28') boatbuilding with strip planks. Wood strip construction of kayaks and canoes looks like fun though.

[Charlie Jones]

Frank- A "stripper" kayak and a strip planked boat are two very different animals.

Right off the top of my head I can't tell you of a book that covers strip planking, other than Chapelle's "Boatbuilding" Oh- maybe Rabl's "Boat Building in your own Backyard" has some details, but I can't swear to that- my copy is elsewhere.

[John Turpin]

Paul Fisher wrote a good book on strip planking and I have it in my library:

You can order it here:

http://www.selway-fisher.com/SFD%20Catalogues%20&%20Manuals.htm#STRIP

He also has a pretty good web page on that topic here:

http://www.selway-fisher.com/Stripplank.htm

[lewisboats]

Good book... I have it in front of me.

Steve

[Greg Luckett]

Can you recommend a good boatbuilding reference on strip plank construction? There doesn't seem to be a lot out there. I did find an online article that gives a pretty good description by Ted Warren at http://www.messingaboutinboats.com/archives/mbissueseptember15-98.html

Scroll down to second article.

I have some good books at home and will try to remember to respond here with titles later this evening.  With my memory, maybe you should remind me? :

[Frank Hagan]

Frank- A "stripper" kayak and a strip planked boat are two very different animals.

Right off the top of my head I can't tell you of a book that covers strip planking, other than Chapelle's "Boatbuilding" Oh- maybe Rabl's "Boat Building in your own Backyard" has some details, but I can't swear to that- my copy is elsewhere.

I was afraid of that ... but the Cosine Wherry is a bigger boat, and its made just like the kayaks!  I wonder how big you could go with frames and 1" wide strips?

[PAR]

There are a number of different strip plank "types", each have their own peculiar specifics. I can think of about a dozen, distinct strip planking methods, including: traditional (basically the same as plank on frame, with really narrow planks), wood-epoxy strip (again the same as carvel, but embalmed in goo strips), wood-epoxy strip with external fabric sheathing, wood-epoxy strip with molded veneers (double diagonal usually), wood-epoxy strip with internal sheathing, Internal/external sheathed strip plank (wood core), Lindsay Lord strip plank (a light weight and flexible scantling schedule, producing a cored composite hull), Herringbone strip plank, plus numerous combinations of each method.

Frank, with adjustments to frame dimensions and spacing, sheathing types and other considerations you can build quite large boats with a 1" strip, especially if using the Lord or a wood cored method .

[Greg Luckett]

I have some good books at home and will try to remember to respond here with titles later this evening.  With my memory, maybe you should remind me? :

I must have been thinking of lapstrake books.  :-[

"The Gougeon Brotheres on Boat Construction" 5th edition, has a good section around page 270 on strip planking.

[Garry]

I ordered "A MANUAL OF STRIP PLANK CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES" by Paul Fisher of Selway Fisher Design and received it within a week. It looks like a good reference for what I want. It starts with a couple of chapters of over view and background. The later chapters look to be the detail that I wanted.

Thanks for all your help!

[dale]

I may need to get that same book, Garry.  I'm thinking of building Paul Fisher's 13' Woodlark catboat or perhaps William Garden's Tom Cat.  I believe both can be strip-built. 

My question, seems that strip planking and cold-molded are very similar methods of construction.  I'm just starting into examining these two construction processes.  I've only built one small stitch & glue dinghy.

[Garry]

Paul Fisher's book should be very helpful. Strip planking and cold molding are similar but different. And, they can be combined with the strip planking becoming the middle layer with cold molding layers on the outside.

Strip planking typical uses cedar strips with epoxy and glass or cold molding layers to protect the soft cedar and add strength and stability.

Another thing I learned already is the difference in the extent of build framing required. Full thickness strip planking will need fewer station frames. Thinner planking (to be built up with cold molding) or 100% cold molding will need more framing to achieve a fair shape.

One thing I like about the strip planking is the quick construction. Cold molding seems to be repetitive since each layer must be prepped before the next one goes on. Each piece also must be trimmed to fit the previous piece installed. Both would probably get similar glass skins.

One tip in Ted Warren's article (see my first post) is to pre-taper all the strips based on the perimeter of each station. This would prevent having to cut custom tapers to accommodate runout as the strips add up on the smaller stations. In my first look at Paul Fisher's book, I didn't see this discussed (but it may be there later in the book).

Enjoy!

[PAR]

I would strongly consider Ashcroft method to a true molded build, in terms of pure planking speed. Both layers of planking go down at the same time, so you have a finished hull when you've completed your planking pass. Much unlike a molded build which requires each layer go down completely before the next.

Planking up a boat is generally a small percentage of the total build effort and time savings isn't that critical, unless you're manufacturing hulls.