> Hi All;

> I had classes over the weekend (8AM - 7PM Sat & Sun, 11 hours/day!),
> so I did not get a lot of time with "Betsy," my new kayak. But I
> then spent most of Monday with her. I have made some observations about
> stapleless strip building that I think are important:

> 1.) As we add strips, we are building panels that are getting larger by
> the strip. The complex shape of these panels is important - all else is
> not.

> 2.) To produce a fair surface that follows the design lines, we reference
> both the last existing strip (current bevel guide of the panel we've built
> thusfar) and the station form.

> 3.) It follows that the panel must be tight and true to the station before
> the rolling bevel is determined. It does not matter much what the state of
> the panel is before or after you make the bevel measurement. For our
> purposes, it is important only that the panel is in proper contact to the
> stations at the time of the measurement, or subsequent fitup. Thusly, the
> hot glue adhesion of strips to form is inconsequential. You clamp,
> measure, bevel, and install the new strip when the panel is supported - -
> who cares what it does (or did) before or afterward? - - The strip is in
> the proper 3D space as intended by the designer, and you will adjust it to
> fit the forms when you need to.

> In a nutshell, we're building panels, and we must strive to make the panel
> proper above all else . . . If the bevels incorporated into the strips
> comprising the panel are correct, the panel will assume the shape dictated
> by (and derived from) the forms.

> Duct tape, a "surform-like" bevel cutter, and an assortment of
> clamps and homemade clamp assists have made my day . . . Isn't it funny
> that with a shop full of power tools, the good old hand tools (and a
> stupid roll or 10 of duct tape) seems to do the job best . . . ;-)

> New pix up at

> http://www.dbeweb.com/kayak under "construction."

> Best Regards, Spidey

Spiedy, I tried duct tape for awhile but it took too long to remove. I used Ross's "cheap clamp" idea from his web site. Binder clips. I bought some stairtread self stick, non skid tape from Home depot and put a piece on both faces of each clip. The non skid tape holds the clip from slipping. I built with staples at forms and used the binder clips between forms. I also used cheap bungee cords with plastic hooks. The bungee is adjusted for tension by sliding the hook along the bungee cord and held at the desired length with a spring type clothes pin.

Larry C.