> . . . Trying to figure out a way, if possible, to do the same thing on
> the clc West River kayak that i'm getting ready to build. . . .
> . . .What i had in mind was making a form
> like yours that the strips are laminated to with the strips being wider
> than the form by the thickness of the plywood. This would allow the ply to
> butt up against the strips and be stitched to the form. What i cant figure
> out is how this would affect the lines of the panels and how to modify
> those lines appropriately. Any ideas, advice or wisdom anyone?

I think you need both an inner and an outer part. The outer part is the decorative wood, the inner part is just for having a piece of wood to mount everything too. These parts will effectively replace the fillet of resin and glass tape on the inside of the boat, at least at the very ends, so this may be either an advantage -- or something to work around.

Since you are working from a stitch and glue design, I'd suggest you go with the exact panel shapes and sizes that are specified. after wiring the hull together, open up the wires on the bottom ceneterline at the bow. (where the front end of the keel would be if the boat had a keel) You'll probably only need to loosen them a few twists. then, take a piece of stiff paper (like a manila file folder) or light cardboard, and push it into the crack in the bottom of the boat that you have opened up. Of course those wires will get in the way, so you should notch the cardboard so that your notches line up with the wire ties. When you have the paper insterted into the hull, trace the outlines of the interior and the exterior of the hull onto this cardboard, and then carefully remove the cardboard.

If you look at the inside line, you now have a template for cutting the outline of a piece of wood that will fit inside the bow as an inner stem.

The inner stempiece needs to be machined to have a roughly triangular cross-section. Start by cutting it out of a piece of 2x4 or 2x6 or evn 2x10 stock if needed. Cut the profile leaving plenty of wood behind it. Get a piece of clear wood if you can. The edge that goes to the very front will be the apex of your triangle. The sides of this triangular cross section will lie flat against the wood panels. You'll have to fit this piece by trial and error, but you can make a few simple tools that will speed the process.

use the points where the wire ties are as reference points. You already have notches on your paper to show their location. Use 3 blocks of wood, cut to 1 1/2 inches wide, 1 inch wide, and 1/2 inch wide. Place the widest of these blocks inside the hull behind one of the wire ties. now slide a ruler through the crack in the keel until it touches that block of wood, and read off that measurement. Write it on the paper or cardboard template you made. repeat the process with the 1 inch block of wood and the 1/2 inch block of wood, so that at the point of each wire tie you have three numbers showing how deep into the boat you go to get those three widths. These numbers can be drawn to give you a paper view of the cross section of the inner stem at every 4 inch interval (assuming your wires are 4 inches apart)

Since your 2x 6 stock is 1 1/2 inches thick, start with the numbers for that depth, and measure back from the leading edge by the required amount. Cut along this line, which is the back or the stem piece. Now connect these dots to make a fair curve and you should be close. You will cut along this line later to establish the width of your inner stem. Taper from this line down to the center line of the inner stem piece and the part should just drop into place. You may need to make small notches on the leading edge to fit around the wires. Or, pull the wires and put in a row of decorative brass or bronze screws, which will hold the panels to the inner stem (along with a liberal application of slightly thickened epoxy resin, too).

The measurements of the other block will help guide you in cutting the bevel. Clamp the wood in place and go at it with a plane until you get the correct fit, then cut off the excess wood. (If you cut it to the proper width first then you may have difficulty holding it while you plane it.)

Once the inner stem is glued into the bow of the boat it effectively seals the front end, and provides a wide area for terminating the ends of the hull panels. You can now cut back the front of the boat by the desired thickness of your outer stem. Try to avoid cutting through wire pieces. Yuu will have a solid plug of wood that you can mount the outer stem to. If you steam bend, or bandsaw the outer. Trace the profile onto a piece of cardboard and use that as a template. If you can get a good fit, you can attach the outer stem with just thickened epoxy. You might use a few screws to pull it tight, and then remove them after the glue sets. Plug the holes with some dowels and sand things smooth.

hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson