My Tred Avon has a similar spot only bigger. As long as the keel is straight, and the sheers and chines are symmetrical, it wont affect the paddling characteristics at all. It's not like this boat will be planing at 30 MPH... I think you'd find Cabosil to be too heavy to use as a filler. I'd suggest finishing it, then taking it out and scratching it up. No one will ever notice...:)

> I'm building a Chesapeake 17, my first boatbuilding project. I'm having
> far too much fun, but have made a few mistakes along the way that I am
> wiser for on my next kayak project. I'm ready to glass the hull but before
> I do I have a few questions that I need a sanity check on:

> Just how much "fair play" (tolerance) is permissible on the keel
> line. Any? I've read through the CLC materials and they speak about
> 1/8" as being acceptable on the straightness of the hull. I've got
> better than that. But what I do have is a 1/8" flat spot along the
> keel smack-dab in the middle of the hull. It tapers on both sides of this
> 1/8" flat spot approxmiately one foot in each direction, but the
> remainder of the keel appears as fair as it gets. Is this accceptable? I
> just didn't see it coming with all of the stitches in place. Once I had
> removed them and sanded the hull, the flat spot became evident.

> Will leaving the flat spot alone affect performance and stability or is it
> just an aesthetic thing? I've already accepted the fact that this is not a
> museum quality boat. I'm building it to spend as much free time on the
> water as possible and for all of the other reasons why anyone would build
> a wooden kayak. But I assume that if I do need to correct this flat spot
> by fairing the hull before I glass it, now is the time to make any
> corrections. Also, since I had hoped to finish the entire kayak in a clear
> finish, and if I do need to fill the flat spot, does anyone have a
> suggestion on how to "fair" the hull without then being forced
> to paint it due to the epoxy thickners needed, which are all opaque. I
> can't find anyone suggesting use of Cab-o-sil or other clear thickner for
> use as a fairing compound. Anyone that's been-there-done-that and has
> suggestions, will be greatly appreciated.