> I have decided to build a box beam type stronge back for my
> Guillemot.Three things I would like to know are: 1 how long should the
> beam be.2 how do I attach the end forms to a box beam.3 is there any
> reason why Icould'nt fill the gap inthe center of the beam with plywood to
> make it solid all the way through.

> THANK YOU IN ADVANCE AND HAPPY NEW TO ALL J.D.

1) I *think* I made mine 14'11"

2) I cut the ends of my box beam to fit the taper slots in the bow and stern pieces. Once I had the taper correct, I just glued the bow/stern peices directly to the beam. Probably a cleat on one side would have helped.

3) I don't see any reason why you couldn't. It will add a little more weight to your beam. As an alternative, you might try just filling the beam in the center where the two beams join and at the ends where you cut the taper.

I glued all the seams of my box beam. This made it very stiff. In the center I just screwed plywood on both sides of the center joint. I didn't think about just offsetting the the plywood to prevent having a "butt joint". As it turns out, this gave me a simple way to split the beam into 2 - 7 1/2' sections when I was finished stripping. Made storage of the forms easier (put away until I'm ready to build a second one 8^)

There was very little flex in the beam when I started. You can prop the middle until you get a few strips on if you want, but I just moved the saw horses around under the beam until there was no sag.

Hope this helps,

Woody