"COLIN LAMB"
thlink.net:

I just looked at the fueslage of the Bowlus and it would be easily
duplicated using cedar strip techniques. Assembly is very quick with
almost no tools required, except for a saw to cut the wood strips. I
did use some mahogany in one of my canoes, just to try it, and it
works fine. Because the inside of the fuselage does not require the
transparancy that the outside does, you could even use one of the
lighter and stronger cloths (such as carbon fiber). This would result
in increased strength and lighter weight.

Now I may have to build one. The tube from front to rear could be
constructed easily using carbon fiber cloth rolled into a tube, or a
commercial tube purchased.


I sourced a tube for it years ago. Not a problem. If you really want one of
these beauties, the plans are available from the Vintage Soaring
Association! to the best of my knowledge, noone has yet finished a replica,
though.
The rest of the glider is pretty simple. It has a D-tube leading edge which
takes up most of the loads and a diagonal sub spar. The stab is all flying
and also is a D-tube structure. The original kit had a variety of ali
castings for wing fixing and such, but they're easily replaced with either
machined replacements or welded up 4130. The shell version would be
stronger and lighter as far as I can see, not to mention prettier!
Does the cedar strip technique you mention use multiple layers of veneer?
Presumably you need a form to wrap this around. Does it have to be solid or
can you just use formers, say, every 9 inches or so? How do you clamp to
get a good bond between layers?