>>>>I recently purchased the 17LT plans from CLC and was talking to my father about the scarf joint.  He has built several stich and glue including a double and he had said there is a new way to join the boat panels using a puzzle joint.  Does anyone know about this?  Any sugggestions?>>>>

Puzzle joints have been around as long as there have been CNC machines.  Hard to do without a computer, however.  A fancy router jig might work, but it'd be more work than the humble scarf joint.  We probably won't switch the Chesapeake models to puzzle joints any time soon, though that's available in kit form if you request it.