I built a kayak a few years ago that had a curved deck. My deck split for about 6" right down the middle at one spot instead of bending. It turned aut to be a void in the plywood (I used the $8/sheet plywood instead of the good stuff). I simply filleted and glassed under the split and then sanded it smooth on top. It came out OK.

JC

> My last kayak project involved bending the plywood deck over rounded deck
> beams. The bending process turned out to be very difficult. During
> subsequent use, the deck to hull joint has come undone in two places. I
> realize that my bond could have been defective for some reason.

> I am considering avoiding the same problem on my next project (similar to
> a Mill Creek 13) by making a ridge down the center of the deck rather than
> torturing (bending) the plywood. What I envision is using a circular saw
> or router to cut a straight line from the center of the cockpit to the
> center of the bow on what will become the underside of the deck. The cut
> will be one third to one half the thickness of the plywood. Then I hope to
> fold the plywood over a deck beam with an approximately 30 degree angle in
> the middle (like the peak of a roof). The next step will be to apply a 2
> inch strip of glass tape down the seam. I think that doing it this way
> will save me the effort of torturing the plywood or stitching two pieces
> to make a ridged deck. I would appreciate any comments regarding 1.
> pitfalls I have not anticipated, 2. probable strength of the deck, etc.