Searching for Cedar for Adirondack Guideboat

[Volker Bornemann]

I am planning to build an Adirondack guideboat based on the strip building approach described in the book by Olivette and Michne. As I want to give the boat a clear finish, I am looking for boards of clear cedar, 18-20 ft length. So far, I have not been able to find a supplier here in North Carolina. As I live only about 20 miles from the Virginia border, a supplier in Virginia would be fine too... I am aware of suppliers for ready sawn and edged strips, but they charge more than I was hoping to spend and I would prefer to do the planing, sawing and routering myself.
Any suggestions were I might find a supplier in driving distance (e.g. 200 miles) were I could see/select the boards before I buy?

[boylesboats]

Did you check with Home Depot, Lowe's, or maybe Mennard's?

[Volker Bornemann]

Yes, and the local lumber yards in Oxford, Henderson, and Capital City Lumber in Raleigh: unfortunately only short lengths boards full of knots available.

[boylesboats]

Yes, and the local lumber yards in Oxford, Henderson, and Capital City Lumber in Raleigh: unfortunately only short lengths boards full of knots available.

Ouch!

[deano]

I was going to suggest the old shed behind Capitol City lumber is a good source of unique wood. Suprising they didn't have it for you either. Since you are in NC why not look for some Cypress isn't it the southern equivalent of Northern cedar and a traditional boat building wood, and probably available with some looking?

Deano

[DavidS]

If you run out of options you might call Carlton's Rare Woods and Veneers in Atlanta. www.rarewoodsandveneers.com (http://www.rarewoodsandveneers.com)

[DDan]

My first thought is that the wood & canvas canoe folks might be a good way to find a source, but I think you'll have trouble getting such long lengths. I just checked Rollin Thurlow's site, wooden-canoes.com; he has 6 to 8' lengths of clear northern white cedar. You might keep an eye on the classified ads on the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association site, wcha.org, or their magazine.

Keep in mind that the local cedar in the mid-Atlantic states is Atlantic cedar (chaecyparis thyoides) and is not the same as that found farther north, northern white cedar (thuja occidentalis). I'm assuming the Adirondack boats are traditionally made of the latter. I'm not sure, but I think the properties of the two species are similar, but not identical. If my memory serves me correctly, there is a brief comparison of the two woods in the Stelmok & Thurlow book, The Wood and Canvas Canoe. Other than density, this may not be much of an issue with a strip-built boat.

Good luck! .