: First time builder. Any tips for making those bow cheater strips fit tight to
: the very feathered end? I'm using a rolling bevel and not cove and bead. I
: was able to get a tight fit right down to about the final 4 inches of the
: very point. Planing that thin end seemed to either break it off or rip it
: out. Sanding seamed to get it a bit finer but it was very fragile and I
: ended up breaking it off too. I ended up with very thin gaps of about
: 4" long that I tried to slide in some shavings. Still not perfect
: though.

You must use a support strip to work on the tip of your cheater strip.

I hot glue two scrap strips together to form side and bottom support for the cheater. Then I spring clamp the end of the cheater in place as I work on the tip planing and finally sanding and test fitting it into the hull gap until I get the fit I want.

Sometimes the cheater strip will need to twist to follow the hull shape, so I bend the cheater with a heat gun BEFORE I work to fit it.

When I strip using full length strips and know I'll need cheaters, I space the full length strips a strip width apart, PAST the stems to define the cheater strip shape and then shape the cheater to fit the natural space defined by the full length strips.

Rob