> Mike, I was just down at CLC picking up my Ches17Lite plans. I didn't like
> the nails showing on their boats, so I'm interested in the rope method.
> How did you tighten the ropes down? Turniquet style, by using a stick and
> twisting, then tying off one end? I'm still debating over painting or not,
> so if I don't paint, I'll try to bypass the nails.

> Todd Hi Todd,

I pre-cut about 60 five foot lengths of one quarter inch nylon rope (cheap at Home Depot) and knotted a loop on one end. I placed each length around the hull and deck panel starting at the center of the boat, threaded the free end of the rope through the looped end, and cinched down hard. I attached the aft deck panel first. Once I was satisfied that the hull-deck joint was okay I secured the rope with a simple overhand knot while keeping tension on the rope. It's a good idea to trial fit the deck panels first before you glue to make sure the sheer clamps have been properly beveled and you have a seamless deck-to-hull joint. It was somewhat unnerving applying the force required to bring the deck panels flush with the hull. The fore panel cracked in one place, but fortunately it was at the overhang and was later sawed off. This method also produced a slight gap between the top of each bulkhead and the bottom of the deck panel. I simply glued on an extension and filleted generously. I am varnishing the boat to bring out the full beauty of the wood. You've been to the CLC showroom so you know how nice they look. You always have the option to paint later. Please post your results! I would like to know if this worked for you.