PGausden,

Can you post a picture?

Cheers,

-Dick-

PGausden,

One of the lessons many of us Peeler builders learned to do before stitching and putting the initial fillets in, is to put the assembled bottom on sawhorses so it can sag a little in the middle. The sides and bulkheads seem to fit a little better that way. Another thing to understand is that the manual is incredibly accurate and rarely, if ever, omits anything you need to do --- like precoating the rabbets before installing the sides. If you follow the manual, when you are done, there is no chance of water getting to those rabbets because of the fillets and the fiberglass and resin on the outside of the bottom and sides.

The Peeler is a great boat and a great kit to start with. My Peeler has been on Narragansett Bay since 2014. She's roomy, stable, and is safe and comfortable out on the bay.

Enjoy,

-Dick-

PGausden,

Here's a picture of my boat, stitched but before fillets. Hope it helps.

Cheers,

-Dick-   

   Dick, thanks for your reply to my post.  I ended up sending some pictures to CLC technical support and they indicated that the gap, which was around 1/4 of an inch at the point where the side met the bulkhead near the bottom of the boat, was ok.   My next step is to figure out how to post pictures to the forum so I can benefit from more great advice such as yours.

Cheers.

Posting pictures is easy. There's an Image icon on the toolbar of the editor. The hard part is uploading the image to a server so you can use it, because CLC doesn't provide a such a server. I am a software developer, so I have my own Web server. If you have a Gmail address, you can upload an image to your attached Google Drive where you can get a shareable link to it. The "picture of my boat" link, above is a Google Drive shared link because thats where I keep the originals of my boat building pictures.

Cheers,

-Dick-

This is my Peeler, taken by one grandson with me hiding behind the other at the helm.   

Did you install a 9.9 or 15 hp outboard?

I'm using a 9.9 hp Yamaha. It drives the boat and 4 adults at around 6 - 7 knots at 3/4 throttle and barely sips gas.. Out on the bay on a normal day, planing is a bit uncomfortable for my old bones. I highly recommend Doel-Fins for the 9.9 hp, as recommended by Catboater who runs a 15 hp Peeler. Keeps the stern from squating and adds a couple of knots while saving gas on the Peeler.