As one who overthinks EVERYTHING, perhaps this will help.  We built our Skerry under the tutelage of CLC's John Harris; our first build.  In his setting we scarfed the rubrails together on day one first thing in the morning, but we didn't double them up and install them until after the fiberglass was installed.  However, the breast hooks were installed before the hulll was glassed and epoxied.  Perhaps you'll find my photo progress pics of our Skerry and maybe it'll help you plan your attack.  Intermingled in the pics are photos of the CLC completed Skerry that I took for reference purposes later in the build.  Otherwise, the pics are in the chronological order of when we were building.  There's 179 or so photos in all; you can view as a slide show, or look at individual pics.  Good luck, hope this helps.  Best,  Bob H

http://picasaweb.google.com/WagPondBob/NewportRISkerryBuild?authkey=Gv1sRgCPqN_fqa5OqRLQ&feat=email#

Looking at the pictures Bob posted, it looks like the Skerry kits in the class were made with puzzle joints, not scarf joints.  Does anyone know if all of the current Skerry kits are cut this way?  Have there been any other modifications or improvements to the kits recently?

Based on your pictures, That'll Do very well indeed!  Nice work.

God bless!

Wayne 

I think you can put the rails on earlier or later.  The Skerry has enough frames to hold the hull shape true with or without rails on, so the exact order doesn't matter.  

Skerries built in classes have puzzle joints;  the stock kits haven't caught up yet.  Anyone who wanted one like that could just request it, but the instruction manual doesn't cover the slightly different assembly sequence.  

Wayne, thanks for your kind comments.  That'll Do has much emotion attached, based on a couple of dogs.  And they did well, indeed.

As for Skerry kit changes, I think I have another one or two you may not be aware of.  Minor though they may be, it was enough to bother me for awhile. 

 In our build, I kept looking at photos and pics of the CLC Skerry that accompanies all class sessions and I kept seeing this clamp cleat thing on the tiller extension handle and I'm scratching my head thinking, how the heck can you pull the rudder down with an arrangement like that?"  It appeared that the rudder line ran through the front of the rudder housing on that Skerry (as compared to the present back end in my class kit). 

If I tried to rig my Skerry with a line up the tiller extension handle to lower the rudder and jerk that line, it wouldn't do a thing!  Because the 180 degree turn the line makes over the back exit of the rudder housing and tiller would just give me line-burned hands.  Blocks aren't an option.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to lower the rudder with a simple pull of the line but that back line exit doesn't make it easy.

 Also, I don't know how kits are generally supplied, but there was nothing in ours or in the manual or even in class (that I can remember) about a stop tang or some device to prevent the rudder from popping out during a sail.

Well, old Murphy ensured that scenario during our first launch in shallow water.  A bouncing launch  caused the rudder to bounce out of the gudgeons off the sand bottom and pop out, creating an instant emergency.     Long story short, we swamped.  But floated well......in three feet of water!!!!  (low tide at Rehoboth Bay, notoriously shallow)

 Anyway, I'm working on that rudder stop mod too.  Thanks again, best,  Bob H