with respect to estimating amount of wood strps necessary, the clc site has some estimating formulas:

http://www.clcboats.com/shoptips/strip_planking/how-many-cedar-strips-will-i-need.html

i am doing my first build of a strip built boat from a kit this winter - the night heron  i did notice that clc will just sell a strongback kit only.  for whatever its worth, it was a solid and well designed kit that built out within two milimeters of true.....which i think is better than i could have accomplished given i do not have the types of tools necessary to cut with that kind of precision.  its cost seemed relatively little compared to the hassle of developing my own approach.

the book, how to build a strip built kayak has a number of ideas for strong back and also, i think includes plans for the great auk.  that might be a resource as well.  another good resource for strip built boats is the guillemot site....  http://www.kayakforum.com/   their forum is pretty much exclusively strip builders and there are some wonderfully talented folks on their forum.  i routinely bounce my own questions between these two sites.

regards,

howard

howard, thanks! This is enormously helpful. I'll keep an eye on the Guillemot forums as well. Good luck on your night heron!

Tom

I found the CLC strongback serviceable but a bit tricky to assemble. You'll have to assemble it because it's in short strips to fit in the shipping container. My kit came with a pretty small drawing of how the parts fit together. I've suggested to them that they make that drawing larger and include a suggestion to number both the parts and the drawing, and then carefully assemble the strongback in order. I'm not sure I can explain this...but the challenge is to not have the ends of two or more strips at the same place, or the strongback won't be strong.

My strongback came with enough material to make a longer strongback than I needed...so don't waste your time building more strongback than you need.

My other suggestion is to make sure you support your strongback in at least three places so that it doesn't bow up or down during your build.

That said, I think the aluminum strongback is a great idea.

There are long bow and stern forms that are hot glued in place at each end of the stronback. It's best to assemble them with one or more friends. Mark where they go carefully and before you glue them in place, pull some construction twine tight bow to stern to make sure you've got it all lined up straight. By construction string, I mean that yellow or orange twine they sell in hardware stores usually in the place where they sell construction squares and tape measures...home builders use it to mark where foundations go.

When you start stripping, make sure as you get going that you don't pull those bow and stern forms out of alignment with your initial strips.

Another thing is, make sure as you line up the port and starboard strips at the bow and stern. I was concentrating on first one side and then another and almost forgot to make sure they lined up when I looked at the bow from in front of the boat (and vice versa at the stern.) If I'm not clear on this, put your hands together as if you're praying, and then look at the end of your hands. 

Good luck.