You may be expecting too much and trying too hard to make a perfect boat. If your joints are only off by a few millimeters, you are doing really well. Most of us miss by up to an inch.

Keep in mind that you are not building a precision machine or a piece of heirloom furniture. You a building a toy for fun that will get scratched, dented, and generally beat up if you use it right.

Just relax and get it more or less according to plan. Once you are in the water, and getting admiring comments from everybody who sees your boat, even you won't notice the imperfections.

Check out the construction notes on my Merganser hybrid, which is basically a slightly bigger version of the Shearwater 17, at http://twofootartist.com/merganser-construction-notes/

Enjoy! -Wes

Don't worry Struggler I've been in the same boat as you. Sounds like same exact story but  different boat. For the cockpit forms, I fit thin shims of wood between the lower part of the frame and the boat. Then hit the form with a bunch of hot glue. As for the spacing in the bulkhead, mine has about a half inch gap. I just plan on filleting that with thickend epoxy once the deck is on. That won't be till next year. It's starting to get cold hear and think I'll only have 2 weeks tops before I can't work with glue.

Cheers

I had the same problem on my Chesapeake.  The front bulkhead fit perfectly and the rear bulkhead had about a 3/4 inch gap between the bottom of the bulkhead and the hull at the keel.  I just made a really thick fillets with thickend epoxy and put glass tape over it and you would never know it was ever there.

You don't really need any trade skills to build a Hybrid kayak, just a really sharp block plane, a bunch of clamps, and a heavy duty stapler.  You might want to check out Nick Shade's videos on youtube like this one on how to build the deck deck before you start stripping yours.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvqsW270cPU

Thanks all for the replies. I have looked at the videos and notes a number of times over the last year and they have been great help, but they are done by pros who make it all look so easy. For example, I tried to use a block plane for a scarf joint and it came out unusable, with non-matching angles. Also, I don't even know what a hot glue gun is and I used the wood glue to try and attach the forms - they are not very stable. I am afraid when I nail in the strip plank using small nails (I don't get using a stapler as I cannot see one getting through the step plank into a form) the form will slip and I won't have a stable base. 

Anyway I am determined to try with the forms and nails and perhaps just butt the ends together. I hope this will work out. 

Thanks for the advice on the rear bulkhead issue and I will fillet it when the time comes. They really should http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvqsW270cPU the kit for future builders.

Struggler

Australia

G'day from Brisbane, Struggler.

I too plan to build a hybrid Shearwater 17.

Wherabout are you - maybe we could catch-up and share notes and frustrations?

I have built a S&G Shearwater but so far have not attempted the strip-plank system. 

L of S

L of S

i am in Sydney, so if you are down this way let me know. [email protected].

i am making good progress now on the strip planking and am taking it one step at a time. 

Struggler