Hi Dan, When my brother and I built our boats, we found a way to reduce the plywood used per boat by 1/2 sheet. We found a more efficient layout than CLC suggests. I described it on my website--the link is below. Email me if you have any questions.

Happy building! Shawn

> After talking to you all for so long I have decided on and purchased the
> plans and materials for a Chesapeake 17. I still have to pick up the
> lumber for the shear clamps and I have a question. The plans say to double
> the length of your boat and add 3 feet to get the total amount of lumber
> you will need for sheer clamps. I can't fit 37' of wood in my jeep so I am
> going to get it ripped into smaller pieces at the lumber yard and scarf
> them together at home. My question is do I just get 4 pieces at 10' each
> or is their a more efficient way to go about this. The plans don't ever
> say how long the shear clamps should be, it just tells you to cut it off
> as marked on the drawing.

> Cheers, Dan