If you look at my blog http://kayakkev.wordpress.com/category/wood-kayak/expedition-single/ and http://kayakkev.wordpress.com/category/wood-kayak/guillemot-l/ you will see that I set my sheer lines first, then my pattern and filled in the holes.  I did however see somewhere that they stripped the whole deck in cedar and then cut out the pattern with a jig saw and filled it in.  That seemed like a waste of energy and wood to me, plus not sure how structural it wood be not locked in with bead & cove when it came time to pull the forms.

Kev

Kev,

Structurally the butt joints are plenty sound enough, the bead and cove just makes it a little easier to get a clean alignment.  I don't think it helps significantly with the strength of the joint, though I could be wrong about that.  I hadn't even considered the fact of how I'm going to join the sweeping curves with the rest of the coved strips.  That will be something I'll have to consider since my curves aren't going to be readily mated along the whole length using the cove and bead.

FrankP

Gee Frank, I don't get it, neither you or my girlfriend seem to read my mind as to what I mean not what I say.  At least I don't see the goofy look you give me.

When I was talking structure, I was refering to the point when you remove your forms, not of the yak itself.  The fibreglass will take care of that when on both sides.  But when your glue oozes out from the joint you are making, and runs between the strips and the forms, sometimes it sticks better than the joint does, and I have tried both bead & cove, and just planed a tight butt joint.  The cove really does hold better when prying.

As to the curves, I just made everything with a bead and cove, and where I had a straight piece run into a curved piece, I just plane, or file the match.  Beads are easier to make.

Kev

Kev, thanks for the advice.  I was just reading your blog yesterday, fine looking boats you've built there.  I'm hoping it will be as nice a final finish when I get there...

FrankP