Stringer Material

General Discussion
1

Just wondering what wood(s) makes for good stringers. All size boards.

2

Ive heard Basswood is a pretty good all around stringer. I was looking for a good stringer as well and many have told me that this is pretty good. only one way to find out. good luck

3

I think most of the blank companies offer stringers in basswood, red cedar or balsa. Some have ply stringers to I think.

I make my own blanks and stringers and I use bass because it’s easily available near me and cheaper than red cedar. Works well, very stable wood pretty easy to mill.

4

I use whatever wood I can find in the length I need, usually 8’x10"x1", and that can be found at Rona. It usually turns out to be pine.

5

I think for excellent weight to strenght ratio you can’t beat spruce wood. The tricky part is finding an affordable good source. Basswood would be my 2nd choice. T-bands with balsa or basswood and redwood are always pretty.

Thanks,

D

6

i’ve heard that basswood is the best stringer material, however it can be hard to find. I use yellow poplar, which shares some characteristics of basswood. plus it’s a lot easier to get your hands on.

7

I just ordered a couple of 9’ bamboo stringers from Greenlight. I couldn’t find a decent (affordable with minimal labor involved) source for 9’ material, so I’m paying more than I’d like, but it should be good.

http://www.greenlightsurfsupply.com/bamboo_stringers.html

8

I’m doing the same (bamboo) from Green light. Let me know what you think about the material. Bamboo seems like the perfect material.

9

Hey fellas, I found a source near me for 12 foot EPS foam blocks for SUP’s and was trying to find a source for 12 foot stringers so I can make my own blanks. I could make the SUP’s stringerless but was wanting to put stringers in them unless I can’t find the wood. Can you give me any suggestions as to where to find stringer material or maybe a way to make them with 8 foot pieces together. I was thinking maybe sandwiching them together with some gorilla glue but didn’t think that would be strong enough since it would most likely make a weak spot. I called US Blanks in Melbourne,FL but Donna there didn’t know either. Thanks

10

At Home Depot you can buy a 3-ply 4x8 known as “Sanderly ply”.  It makes a nice “T-Band” stringer,  The glue up on the ply is tight and planes nicely.  It can be scrarfed for longer lengths in a male/female “V” joint that disappears,  $25 per 4x8.

11

The whole point to a wooden stringer is to orient the grain longitudinally. It won't matter what species of wood you use if the grain is sawn so that it will "peel" apart between the spring and winter growth rings. If it is wrong it will fail every time from downward or upward stress.