I'm tempted to use plastic ties for my next stitch and glue kayak - the copper wire is a bit of a pain, mostly just feeding it through the small holes and then trying not to break the wires when tightening.

One idea I picked up from this list after my last kayak was - once you have your hull properly positioned "spot weld" between the ties. A small (quarter sized?) dab of thickened epoxy should hold the panels in place so that you can cut and pull out the ties (plastic or copper). With all the ties out you can make a thinner fillet, saving weight and looking smoother. (I'd be quite concerned that a fillet thick enough to cover your plastic ties would add a lot of extra, unrequired, weight to the kayak)

As for the fillets, I can't help with your chocolate bar analogy - my impression is to make a smooth transition from one panel to the next with a transparent thin coat over the outer edge and thicker at the actual seam (~1/2" thick at most?).

One extra note. I found the best way to spread the fillet of thickened epoxy was to fill a plastic bag with thickened epoxy, twist the top shut, cut off a small corner and then you can squeeze the epoxy out along the length of the fillet. Then go back and spread the epoxy. This lets you lay out the epoxy so fast that it can't start to hardern before you can spread it out.

Mark

> Need some advice.... After much frustration in trying to attach the bottom
> and side panels of my CLC Chesapeake 17, I tossed the copper wire away and
> used small plastic ties like those used to attach cables and wires. The
> panels came together nicely...tight, no gaps. What I have sitting on my
> sawhorses actually looks like it might become a kayak! I realize that
> drilling larger holes in the panels and using plastic ties will mean a
> change in plans when it comes time to applying a finish, but this problem
> can wait. I'm having a difficult time visualizing the fillets along the
> seams.... ...are they as flat as a Hershey bar, but not as wide? Are they
> thick and narrow like a Twizzler?...Milky Way, Mounds, Mars Bar, stick of
> gum? Should the fillets cover the plastic ties (they are certainly more
> visible and larger than the copper wire)? Thanks to all who help!