> I'm building a CLC Patuxent and the suggestion is that the fillets should
> be wide enough to cover the copper wire (which I intend to leave in). Is
> this really necessary, since a less wide fillet should be strong enough
> and the epoxied tape over the fillet should cover the wire. It just seems
> to me that 3 times 17.5 feet of wide fillet might add considerably to
> weight without necessarily improving strength. But then again, I don't
> want the boat falling apart under me. Comments welcomed.

Mt CLC Cape Charles and Tred Avon have fillets that are easy to sand. I found that about 1.5" diameter was the smallest comfortable, as I have sanding tools which can get in there. This covered almost all the stitches, the rest I sanded out (I used cable ties). Of course, I have yet to build a boat within the design weight...