: I'd be interested if anyone has actually tested the need for the kevlar.

I'm not aware of anyone has. Not sure it will be me

: The Dacron is shrunk, then varnished. There is a lot of Dacron there to
: resist any torsional movement. Another test would be to lay the Dacron on
: the diagonal, since the stringers and ribs provide stiffness in the

Platt does put the dacron on at an angle, similar to glassing. He mainly does this to minimize wrinkling of the fabric, but I would agree there should be some strength gain. It would also depend on how well the dacron is attached to the frame. Platt uses a heat activated glue (Heat-n-Bond tape) to attach the fabric at the gunwales and keel. I'll extend this to the deck centerline and around the cockpit area. I'm not sure how well this stuff really holds, but if it releases some, the strength of the fabric may be mitigated.

: If it were my boat, I would have done the tests long
: before this point.

Ha! Ha! This is recreational boat building, remember? The whole boat is a test, hence the X. It has a lot of untested parts (for me at least), i.e. steamed ribs, laminated ribs, number and size of stringers, recessed cockpit in a frame boat, etc, etc. For me the process is as important as the product. If the whole thing ends up hanging in the barn as ornamentation, I've stilled learned something :-)

Bill