The basswood is probably a little heavier, depending on the individual piece of wood. The charts I looked at listed cedar at 26# per cubic foot and basswood at 27#. The fact is that the wood is only about 1/3 of the boat weight. The epoxy and glass weigh a lot. I think the epoxy is about 22# per gallon - I used a little less than a gallon. Reducing the weight of a strip built boat is all about watching your ounces. The pounds will follow. This 15' long and 29" wide solo boat came out at 42#. It's way lighter than an ABS boat would be, and a little heavier than a kevlar boat.
I thought the blog was getting a little long, so I decided to write about all the glassing, gunnels etc next month. Glad you enjoyed it.
It wasn't a kit, but you can get the equivalent of a kit from Northwest Canoe Company. They have many plans for different canoes and will sell you everything you need, from strips to epoxy, glass, seats, gunnel material, etc. If you have the space, a jig saw and a stapler you can build one of these. It really isn't hard. Go for it! You'll love it.
