: Evenin' all. I've had my forms aligned for a few weeks (and re-aligned, and
: re-aligned, and...), and I can start stripping as soon as I want.
: Unfortunately, I'm stuck in a never-ending alignment quagmire. I set the
: forms up so I could sight down the alignment marks, but I didn't have a
: straight keel line. I re-aligned to get a straight keel, but that threw
: the alignment marks off. I thought nailing a perpendicular alignment strip
: across the top of all the stations would fix that, but it wasn't to be.
: The perpendicular alignment strip is not fair at all (I nailed it right
: next to the keel line, too), as it wanders right and left, up and down.
: Experimental shearline strips look good though (as far as I can tell,
: because I can only stand two feet away from either side of the boat), and
: I'm tired of aligning stations, so I want to start stripping. Can I start
: stripping and make station alignment changes afterwards, if it becomes
: obvious that things are not fair? I know it'd be more difficult with a
: couple dozen strips on, but I suppose I could use a small jack, etc. to
: force things into shape. The builder's eye is the ultimate alignment tool,
: no? If a strip looks fair, even though the stations don't line up
: perfectly, I'm good to go, right? Man, this stuff can be frustrating. And
: it's still over 90 humid degrees in my garage in October, to boot...
: Thanks.

I am building my first boat, so take my advice for what little it is worth. I had good luck with a string running down the keel line, and a laser level sighted to light up the shear alignment marks. It was a cheap level that projects a red line. I found it to hard to make a string go straight down the side of the forms. The laser level made it easy.

I would not recommend stripping until you get the forms right, the strips will lock in the problems. But don't obsess with the alignment, get it as good as you can, have a beer, and move on.

Ken F