OK, since there have been a LOT of questions about boatbuilding
technigues, I'll try and take them on.

* Angle of wood - old "wood and canvas" canooes DID have often have a
diagonal layer. "Strip Plank" canoes genearally do not, as they are
fiberglassed inside and out.
* Strip plank, general comment - this is a very labor intensive, and
relatively heavy way to build a canoe. The curvature in the bilge
areas is comparable to the Baby Bowlus, but the longitudinal curvaure
is greater, plus the substantial taper at both ends with drive you
bat**** trying to wrap the strips around that shape.
* Stitch and Glue is a GREAT idea for this project. Lightweight ply is
spiled over molds, and either tacked in place to the molds, or pulled
off the molds and stiched to the piece next to it, then taped along the
seams with fiberglass. It is even possible to "torture" a fair amount
of compound curve into the "gores" by cunning means describe in the
Gougeon book I mentioned previously. Lighter, quicker and cheaper than
the other methods, but not quite perfectly fair in all directions like
the molded alternatives.

I will NEVER build another strip plank boat, but I enjoy stich and
glue. YMMV....