I'm going to build a leeboard for a sea kayak currently under
construction. I would like to get this very knowledgable group's
opinion on the best way to keep it flat once it's been dimensioned. In
case your wondering, a leeboard acts like a keel on a boat but hangs
off the gunwale and is not supported in any way. The finished
dimension will be 1/2'' x 10'' x 44", in a roughly elliptical shape.
I'm planning on making it out of a piece of sapele that I have, 4/4 x
6", so I will, at the very least, have one joint down the middle,
which is fine. I got to thinking that I might rip it even more to
relieve any internal stresses that might be present. I would then
plane the pieces close to the finished thickness, glue it up and then
plane to final dimension. Am I on the right track here? If so what do
you think the minimum number of rips should be? I still want it to
look somewhat like a solid board. TIA.