It really shouldn't matter where you put the scarf joints as long as you do a good joint. For my Cape Charles 17 I made a point to put the seams in and area where they are somewhat hidden. You will be able to see my deck seams on my kayak (natural wood) but on the hull the only seam you will see is right below my seat. You will never see it when the seat is installed. As far as strength I have cloth in the cockpit and also a full layer on the hull.

Kyle

: I've decided to partition the 17ft.+ guillemot s&g into three scarfable
: sections, approximately, 6ft.- 5ft. - 6ft. (6-6-6 just didn't sit well for
: me for some reason).

: Is there any advantage in choosing another combination, say 8'-8'-1' or
: 4'-8'-5' for instance?

: A deck with 6'-5'-6' pieces puts a joint between the rear hatch and the
: cockpit, with 5' for the cockpit area, then a joint, then the front hatch.
: The hull bottom has a joint directly amidship. The side will probably be
: 4.5'-8'-4.5' just to offset the joints in the adjacent panels.