I just finished my CLC MillCreek, and ran into some...interesting...flaws from CLC. I used their plans, not their kit mind you. First, the full sized offsets were anything _but_ well drawn. They don't match up to the offset tables (more on that later), don't match up to each other, and are very crudely done from the computer plotter, using three straight lines to sorta equate a curve between offset table data points. Then there is the problem of getting a decent duplication of their line onto the wood. After I finally got the cut outs this way I decided they looked too bad to be acceptable for me, and threw them away.

Round two, the batten method. Now we've got nice curves! It's also where I found out that their offset table leaves something to be desired. That is unless you like humps, bumps and a kayak that looks like it was built during an earthquake. CLC seems to be somewhat aware of this, as in their instructions they keep harping on planing down the cut pieces until they are fair. I reduced sanding by adjusting the batten curves. After all, I was pretty certain my bilge panel wasn't supposed to have sine waves along its length, or that nasty kink up near the bow.

Now either his offset tables are scaled wrong, or his many times reproduced "trace here" blueprints are really offscale these days. CLC also gives bow, stern, and bulkhead traces to get their shape. Uh huh. Either my boat grew by several magical inches at the ends, or those too be traced drawings aren't to scale anymore. I check, rechecked, and had others check my transfer from the offset tables, I'd done it right. And now having basically finished the boat, and compared it against the CLC shop boat, I know the too be traced drawings of the bow and stern on his plans are way off scale. Similar the bulkheads, though they were pretty close.

Then, just having to do with me, not CLC, there is that wire tightening issue. One which I managed to pretty much forget the final step on. I took all my wires down nice and tight (just like safety wire), and forgot to look it over and see which ones I then needed to loosen and adjust (oops). End result? Slight bit of hogging about 2/3 abaft on the keel panel. No big deal, but I'm aware of it. Oh, and at least in the MillCreek plans, not a word was mentioned about planing down the plywood edges to fit one another. I actually tried wiring it the first time without planing down the edges. What a mess you get attempting to wire without planed edges!

Well, anyways, that's my CLC experience. Hmm, on reading this, it sounds like I'm trashing CLC. Really I'm not. I've actually been quite pleased overall.

> Well I fixed my Tred Avon. I cut the keel and spread it about
> 1/8" and taped the inside back up. Net result is a significant
> improvement in the low spot, and one little high spot that wasn't
> there before. Net difference in performance will probably be zip.
> I find it odd that there is another Tred Avon with the same flat spot.
> Perhaps other builders out there have one, too?