Greetings.....I am on my first build. It is a Great Auk 17. So far things have been going pretty OK,  At this point, the level of my next strip will be just above the height of the inner stem..hull half.. at the stern end. That's before trimming it. At the bow end however, I wont get to that height for another 5 strips. Because Nick's book said that the cheater strips were optional, and my prior strips gave me a little grief, but I was able to get them in place, I chose not to install them. Now I see, if I understand correctly, that the strips at the bow and stern should get to that level at the same time. If I take the next strip and let it do it's thing at the stern end, then I must elevate it to the same level at the bow end, so I can put in the keel strips. This is where I'm stuck..If I run the strip high at the bow end, it will take 4 cheater strips to fill the gap. The top (cove side) is the side that will actually have the angle to plane off. I don't want to do that because I don't want to have to make a new cove. I'm not sure how to plane the bead side without making a mess of things. The solution may be simple...but I think I'm more simple...and even if I took Geometry, I woulodn't have passed it. Just a little levity to make me feel better....I just can't picture how to do it in my head. Thank You!!!!   KJC