> 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)

Mark, Your description is how Pygmy boats are built. The wires are steel which draws panels tight without breaking the wires. The seams are welded with epoxy and the wires are removed saving weight and making it easier to Fillet. I filled all my wire holes with tooth picks for an added touch, but the 1/16" holes fill nicely with just epoxy. The seam welding is done with a dental syringe.

Larry C.

> 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