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Mike O.

On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:59:22 -0700, wrote:

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.

Do you have to keep it at 1/2" thick?
I've built some dagger boards and rudders but never used anything less
than 3/4" in thickness. It seems to me that 1/2" by 44" long is going
to have some flex to it. If your not worried about glue failure I
think gluing in a few pieces and alternating the grain might help to
keep it both flat and straight.

Mike O.