I've stripped the hull from the sheer line past the chines to where I'm ready to start on the "football". The problem: the last two strips (one on the port side, one on the starboard) do not meet at the same point on the internal stem at the bow (they meet just fine at the stern). To be clear, only one of these strips is in place right now and I'm trying to fit the other one. I think the reason they don't meet is that on the side of the unfitted strip the previous strips have pulled away from forms 2, 3, 4 somewhere between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch (not more than 1/4 inch).

The strips *will* meet if I use an extra cheater strip on the side I haven't glued yet. I'd prefer not to do that as it will be pretty asymmetric (at least visually, I have no idea what the effect will be on paddling). I'm wondering what could be done at this point to make the recalcitrant strips hug their forms more closely (eg, run several screws through the strips and into each form, with scrap wood to keep the heads from digging into the strips?). Other ideas?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks.
Wes