Matching strip colors

[clicksys]

Hello,
I'm approx. 2/3 of the way through stripping a Cottage Cruiser. Its going well, bead and cove. I've been very careful to try to keep consistent color of the strips, other than on a deliberate accent stripe, but now its getting hard to maintain. I'm wondering to what degree, if any, color differences get muted by the fiberglassing process. (I have built another boat, but it was a stitch and glue kayak, so the wood was pretty uniform.) Not knowing the tolerances, its easy to obsess and worry about subtle differences of shading, as I transition from fairly tan-red strips to EITHER whiter ones or some darker, more red ones. Its all western red cedar. I want any changes to look deliberate, as opposed to a hull that has all sorts of random shades on it. Thanks,
Robert

[davidb54321]

Robert,

It has been my experience that epoxy will exagerate color differences between strips, so be as diligent as possible if you want it to look like some sort of pattern. You can get a good visualization by wetting the strips with laquer thinner and comparing them. Once they are glued up as part of the hull, you are pretty well stuck with it.

While we all strive for that "perfect" strip pattern, when it is all done people will marvel at it wether we think it is perfect or not. We are our own worst critic!

Keep it fun.

[Rick]

Water will also bring out the darker colors that'll show up under epoxy, if the fumes from thinner aren't wanted.

:frightened

Wetting the strips that are in place already and those remaining will show what the final colors will be more closely so making the gradual transition to a light or dark football should be more ceratin that way.

There are some really unsightly, butt-ugly strippers out there and I'm not talking about the kind that dance around a pole... they were built fast with no regard to color or pattern. It's worth spending time on this, since looks add to the overall value and you could be spending many years seeing that stripper you've built... or selling her for the money that her looks will bring in.



Here's hoping for a great-looking hull, keep it up!

[KARKAUAI]

I was lazy on my first boat and decided to go with a random pattern, not being aware how BIG a difference in color the wet out would make. When I stood back to admire the wetout of the inside, I realized all the dark strips were on one side, giving a striped appearance!!! I was mortified, didn't even realize it when it was keel up. The amazing thing was that NOBODY realized it until I pointed it out. I just figured that on a port tack I'd look striped and on a starbord tack I'd look solid.....two canoes in one! Don't obsess too much, but wetting the strips WILL help you know what they're going to look like when the wetout is done. I was much more careful on the second one and it's a lot more symmetrical.

[Scottcam]

If you have a limited # of strips, it can be very difficult, if not impossible to create an intricate pattern. I believe that as long as the strips are book-matched; a well thought out "random" design can produce a fine result. :eyebrows Just my opinion.

Scottcam

[Fred G]

I suppose its too late to number the strips coming off the saw.

Seems you should find a place to lay them out, spray the ends with water and bundle the strips you have left in color groups. It will be beautiful however you do it, And yes, the epoxy will exagerate the differences in color.

[Patricks Dad]

The strips on our canoe varied quite a bit from one end to the other in some cases. Just spraying the ends won't necessarily tell you the whole story.

[CD]

I am just in the process of cutting my strips. I am numbering them coming off the saw. If I am wanting uniform color do you think it would be wise to lay out all the strips and wet them all down at once and sort them by color. They are being cut out of three separate boards. Does the color vary that much on strips cut from the same board ?

[Glen Smith]

The color variation depends on each individual board. If you are using WRC you might have boards that all appear to be a pale brown on the surface but when you rip strips they might contain white, pink, red, light brown, dark brown. You can even have several colors in just one strip. Wetting the boards beforehand probably won't give you much indication as to the color of the strips. You could try wetting a few strips cut from each board to see what the coloration looks like. This might help you to classify the strips by color group.

[canoeblderinmt]

Robert,
My suggestion would be to get darker as you come around the bilge and close the bottom. The boat will most often be viewed right side up, and the eye likes to see darker colors on the bottom (shadows, etc). If you wanted to then work in a lighter section or some stripes on the football shaped center, that might make for an attractive accent. Good luck and post some pictures, OK?

Greg

[Glen Smith]

Just to complicate matters a bit more, scratches show up less on a light colored hull.