: Hi everyone,
: I'm new to this forum, but starting on my 3rd boat. The first 2 are
: Shearwater hybrids, now I am working on one of Nick's designs,
: the Great Auk 14. I bought the kit from CLC and have started
: laying things out. I have the box beam assembled. Unfortunately
: it's not completely straight. It's off by about 1/4". I've
: heard various opinions on the CLC forum as to how to deal with
: this (wedges, hog out the forms, pull it straight with the sheer
: strips, etc). Any comments here?
: I've been watching Nick's vids and am considering using his spacer
: and wedge method of laying out the forms. I'm not real thrilled
: with the particle board forms supplied. They look real brittle.
: Hopefully I can avoid screwing thru them. I'm looking for any
: tips on the best way to do this. I've also heard that this
: method will straighten the box beam if the spacers are cut
: perfectly square.
: Thanks,
: Dan

I'm not familiar with Nick's method but particle board does not hold screws well, so I suggest you fasten it to a piece of lumber using glue and screws, then you can safely drive screws into the lumber. To fasten stringers to it, use smaller gauge but longer screws than you would normally use and drill a full-depth pilot hole equal to the screw's core diameter.

I generally use 2 x 4's for strongbacks if I need one. While it is rare to find a perfectly straight one I can usually find one that is at least straight along the edges and not twisted; I set it up so the slight bend is in the vertical and accept the slight change it makes to the rocker ...