Hi Richard

Well I did use staples on my current boat. However I did want to eliminate any unnecessary staples so I used plain old masking tape as a clamp. I used about four rolls of 1 ½ inch tape. I think it is important to use fresh tape because it stretches and will not tare under the clamping force as easily.

It looks pretty good there are no staples holes between stations. In many places I stripped right over the masking tape that was holding the previous strip.

Right now I am in the process of glassing the outside of the boat and you cannot tell where the tape is unless you know where to look.

Jason Given

: Hi,
: I'm building a Guillemot (my first kayak building project), have got the
: forms aligned and am about to start stripping the hull, without staples.
: What's a good way to hold the first strip in place?
: I was thinking of using hot melt glue or clamping it to a sacrificial deck
: sheer strip screwed in place. Any one have a better idea?
: Also, I am going to make some plywood U shaped fixtures to hold the strips in
: place while the glue dries, as shown in Kayakcraft, but I'm wondering why
: they need to be U shaped. I don't see what the bottom of the U is for.
: Couldn't the fixtures just be L shaped? That would make the much simpler
: to make.
: Thanks, Richard.