Strip building involves bending thin (1/4-inch [6-mm] or less) pieces of wood around temporary forms, edge-gluing them together, and then fiberglassing inside and out. It is a great method for making beautiful, lightweight, small boats. Also called "Cedar Strip", "Wood Strip", "Strip Planked" etc.
Most wooden boats will actually weigh less than commercially manufactured boats. Because wood is structurally efficient, a boat built with it can be made quite light. The only real downside of wood is that since it is a natural material it is not necessarily consistent in its weight.
"Strip-Building" is the art of bending many, small, thin strips of wood around forms to create a boat shape. The wood is covered with fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin then removed from the forms and the inside is fiberglassed.
The most accessible techniques for do-it-yourself boat builders involves using wood.
A strip built boat is made of small strips of wood so if you were wondering where the name came from, now you know. The method is often called cedar strip, because the wood used is typically cedar. It does not have to be. Any straight grained, light-weight wood can be used.
