The reason for this discussion is that you have to be almost too careful in stitching your panels. A strongback or at least some mold/pre-designed bulkheads (the CLC plans don't come with, at least for the Cape Charles) to help you get things shaped correctly would make getting the alignment much easier. I got tired of pulling out wires and rewiring to adjust the fairness of the lines, especially the keel. This was made harder since I was using stainless electric fence wire (--DON'T!!). I finally used duct tape with a few wire stitches. I checked the hull for "windage" as CLC calls it in the manual and shop tips constantly, before, during, and after taping and filleting. I got the lines right--just not fair, because I over clamped one side of the bow to get the bilge panels vertical at the ends. Lots of dookie schmootz (my 7-year old son loves that term) and sanding later, the extra dip was gone, but I probably added 3 pounds to the boat...well, I do tend to exaggerate...

Point is, if I'd had the bulkhead patterns to use in the first place, it would have built up faster and I would have made fewer compromises like the clamp unevenness. The forward bulkhead placement is not a constant though, so they would've been forced to either make a standard placement for a couple of heights/leg lengths or have you call for offsets or something equally irritating.

>

> The plywood panels were stapled to the molds, then mini-fillets
> applied between mold stations. It did not spring out of shape, or
> twist when removed from the molds. I did, however, permanently install
> the water-tight bulkheads, and four little deck beams prior to removing
> it from the strongback. This may have helped it retain it's shape.
>

> How do you use a strongback with any of the available stitch-and-glue
> kayak kits or plans? They don't come with station offsets do they?
> I mean, how would you build the molds? Mine was home-designed, so
> I had the station offsets.

>