Wood Duckling Question - gap between panels

I'm building a Wood Duckling from a pre-cut kit and am stitching together the deck and hull separately.  Although the manual seems to suggest the biggest problem is bending the wood for the bow, the thing I'm stuck on is a 1/8" gap between the deck and the sheer panels at the deck form just forward from the cockpit.  Despite unwiring it and starting from the middle and moving out, I can't seem to put enough tension to get rid of this gap.  

I called CLC and they suggested trimming the deck form but it's hard to see how this is going to get rid of the gap, which seems to come from the shape of the sheer panels.  Any suggestions?  I can tolerate a small gap, but this just seems too big..


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RE: Wood Duckling Question - gap between panels

   I had a struggle here too. In the end I drilled the holes out and used double wires, and got the panels wet. If I was doing it again I'd try to use more straps. There's a few pictures here -

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?30807-Wood-Duckling-build&referrerid=9873

RE: Wood Duckling Question - gap between panels

   Do you mean more straps after connecting the deck to the hull to close the gap or when wiring the deck together just by itself?  Your boat is absolutely gorgeous, by the way - gives me hope for mine.

 

 I, too, am hoping to be done by summer; I',m working in the hours just after the kids' bedtime.  

RE: Wood Duckling Question - gap between panels

 Add extra holes and wires, sometimes as many as 2 extras between the wire holes provided, wherever it seems necessary. Also, for closing up the bow and stern -- in addition to soaking the plywood in those areas, you might want to consider the solution I hit on: use two lengths of threaded rod, one below the line where you'll want to use graphite/epoxy for protection, so the holes will be filled and hidden later; and one where you'll want to have holes anyway to run your rope bale for carrying. put two large fender washers on the ends of the threaded rod, and use wingnuts to crank down and clamp the two sides together until the wires are in and the epoxy has set. Then take the rods out. If I can remember how to post pix, I'll do it.  

RE: Wood Duckling Question - gap between panels

  Turns out I've already posted pix of this method. Search for my name, Jim Norman, and scroll down to my post of 5/19/13, and you'll find them.  

RE: Wood Duckling Question - gap between panels

Link to Jim's old thread with no searching

RE: Wood Duckling Question - gap between panels

   I remember this part as well. The manual for the DblDuck says "The foward deck form will generate much of the deck camber. Wire
this form tightly to the sheer panel and deck panel on one side, bend
the deck around the form and wire it to the other side. You can do it
solo, but a helper will really speed this along."  Well that didn't work for me. It ended up off center.  I think what I did was this: pre-wire the deck and sheer panel tightly without the form in place. Then mark the center line on the form and underside of deck, put the form on center, cross-stitch extra long wires loosely, then slowly tighten the wires evenly. I believe in the end I had to loosen the sheer panel to deck wires a little.  Also I noticed I had not beveled the sheer panel evenly which caused a slight gap.  My 2 cents

RE: Wood Duckling Question - gap between panels

   Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback.  In the end, I sanded a couple millimeters off the sheer panel forward of the deck form, which CLC advised against, and also shaved off the sides of the deck form as it seemed a bit wide of the hull.  It seems a little better so I'm going with it (as if I had a choice).

CLC was very responsive, with Eric Schade getting back to me right away, which I really appreciated.

Somewhere someone must have written or thought about writing "Zen and the Art of Kayak Building". I constantly find myself picturing the perfect build, then end up making a mistake or encountering a set back, at which point I have to stop, re-calibrate, then move on.  Good therapy for people with OCD!  In the end, as so many others have pointed out, nobody seems to see the mistakes but the person who made the boat..

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