I didn't even think about using the offsets for the deck forms becasue I'd want to give it much more curve than that. I was thinking of building my own forms for the deck after I got the hull built. The forms (Except for a few for hatches) would be removed after the deck is built and I'd epoxy the deck to a sheer clamp. It's definately going to be a 'design as you go' build but, that's half the fun. By the time I'm done stitching up the hull, keeping everything straight and making all those forms (by eye), I'll be ready for something easy like striping
The idea of using the form offsets for a hull jig is a great idea! I think I'll do that.
Thanks again for the help. I'm sure, once I start this, I'll have a dozen more questions. I hope that book I ordered gets here soon!
Ciao,
-David

: I've heard that this can be a tricky stitch-n-glue to build. In reading
: Nick's notes in the page that contains the offsets, it looks like the area
: of major concern is the bow and stern; "Once you have epoxied the
: hull it becomes very stiff, especially at the ends. You will not be able
: to adjust it to fit the deck." (quoting Nick) But in your case,
: you'll be custom-forming the deck to match the hull, so there will be less
: 'fighting' to get the 2 halves to meet.

: I think there would be 2 key points to make regarding what you are proposing.
: One is that you should rig up a string and make sure the hull is well
: aligned; that there is no twist in it. You might want to take the form
: offsets, offset them 4mm for the wood thickness, and make a few cradles to
: hold the hull in the correct position. Another would be to stretch a tight
: string from bow to stern and line up the centerlines of each form to
: ensure the hull is straight. Normally if the boat were made as a
: stitch-n-glue, this wouldn't be necessary, because the deck helps force
: the hull into the correct shape when the 2 are stitched together. But in
: your case you'll need to ensure this straighness some other way.

: The second point would be to not get too fancy with your stripping of the
: deck. The forms are 20" apart, as opposed to the usual 12"
: spacing for a strip kayak. You'll probably want to stick with a straight
: stripping pattern and just use different wood colors for variation.

: Happy building!

: Dean