[WhiteWolf McBride]

Travis:

If you don't want to use something as complicated as fibreglass, you might consider another option as equally strong and waterproof: epoxy.

I use Hoby-Poxy 2-part stuff, 45 min. set, and after mixing some up, slowly add something called " Klenk's Epoxy Thinner ". Add the thinner VERY slowly, as it doesn't take much to take the epoxy down to paint thickness. Make the first batch a bit thinner for the first coat, as you want to waterproof the wood, thin so it soaks into the wood's pores. Then after sanding, use thicker to basically gloss-coat the beastie.

If you are unsure of your ability, you could use the 2 hour set stuff, but don't use anything faster than 30 min. until you get the hang of mix-&-thin... as it'll start to set on your brush/applicator.

You can use this inside and out... As I've mentioned before, I used it on a Dumas 'PT-109 kit' and after ripping out ALL the interior frames, it still withstood a high-speed ram into the side of an aluminum inground pool. You could plank your Chrissie with balsa, then epoxie her inside and out, and still be as strong as the ply planking.

I'd have used balsa on my two Dumas 48" beasts ( 'American Enterprise' & 'Dauntlass' ) except they need considerable ballast to drop to the waterline (I had two motorcycle batteries powering AE last time I ran her, ~with~ another 2 kilos of ballast!)

Just some options...
WhiteWolf