: I'm about to stitch the bottom of my Chesapeake 16 to the side panels. It
: seems like I will need to force quite a bit to get it to come together,
: particularly near the beam. Is this normal? (I've followed directions very
: carefully, have the beam at the right width, and the bottom panels at the
: correct angle, I think) Any advice from fellow stitchers? thanks.

Humm??? I've built three S&Gs and I always feel like "This ain't gonna work!" when I start bringing the sides and bottom together. Take heart! With the CLC 16, you've got good, proven plans and instructions.

You shouldn't be having to FORCE it, but you will have to push it around some. Prop the sides at the point of maximum beam, to the max beam width. Double check the length of the prop and location. This prop (~ 22-23" on a CLC 16 I think) goes at the hull/deck joint (shear), not at the bottom/side joint (chine). Measure the hull width at the shear, don't trust the prop length to give the right max beam. If you have it in the wrong place, you WILL have a problem.

With the sides propped open and the bottom laying down on a couple sticks laid athwartships across the sides, there will be an inch or more gap between the bottom and sides amidships. This will disappear as you wire it up.

Start wiring at the bow. Don't tighten the wires too tight, bringing the side and bottom edges within a 1/16" is good. Wire every other or every third hole first from the bow aft to the stern. Add the remaining wires and then bring the tension up together. Don't be shocked if the sides and the bottom don't line up perfectly in length, none of mine have. Just cut off the extra.

Spend as much time as is you can stand to align things. The bow, the stern. the keel and the chines especially. Time spent here is time very well spent. If you have to unwire some of it, do what ya gotta do! After resin starts hitting the boat, you are stuck with what you've got. One trick is to make sure the inside edge of both the side and the bottom are touching, exactly. If instead, one edge overlaps the other, even slightly, this will result in unsightly unfairness in the chine. To correct, work your way down the chine using a small hammer to tap the edges into alignment. If your wires are snug enough, the edges will stay aligned. This is something you have do inch by inch. Do the same thing with the keel centerline joint. Time spent here will really show in the final product!

Good luck and don't hesitate to ping me if it is not coming together right. You can also try the CLC BB at their clcboats.com site.

Craig