What about for cutting the hatches? I would want the tool with the straightest cut and smallest kerf possible for that job right?

But regardless, it sounds like I can put off buying a Japanese pull saw (or other hand saw) for now & pick that up when I need it. Or keep my eyes open for good deals.

Thanks,
Bryan

: I agree with Ken. If you have a jig saw, you can do without the japanese pull
: saw. A jig saw is perfect for cutting the plywood panels for a stitch and
: glue. And you don't need to buy one of the nice $150 orbital jig saws. A
: crappy old Black and Decker from a garage sale will work just fine. You
: will be using a block plane anyway to plane the panels down to the line,
: so any uneven cuts will be smoothed out.

: I have the ryoba pull saw I mentioned in my post above, but I bought it a few
: years before building my kayak. If I didn't have it, I could have used the
: jigsaw for everything, inculding the scarfs on the sheer clamps. Just
: clean them up with the block plane. You could even use the jigsaw for
: cutting the sheer clamps to the proper angle at the ends of the boat.

: But I do like my ryoba saw, and use it often for other projects. So I'm glad
: I have it.