I don't know of any function to have the software draw the curve. I did it by hand. It's possible and maybe even likely to draw really whacked out curves in illustrator, my strategy is to use as few points (control points on the line) as possible and to use the bezier curve control handles to fair it. By moving the "fulcrum" of the control point on the line, it works much like I imagine flexing a batten would do although I have never used a batten.

I'm doing it full size on an 18' side panel. I wish I had the offsets in front of me here at the office, the areas in question are near the forward and aft cradle positions, and I suspect that the best thing is to fair the curve at those places and just let the points be what they are. It goes something like this, there are points (and these are not real measurements) at 183, 184, 184, 186, 184, 184, 187, 189, 192 etc. Where the sheer climbs out over the stern (and another similar bump on the bow). There are varying amounts of space between these points, but you can see the type of pattern--it's flat or rising gently, then there's this high point. And I did double check the measures at those places.

I've seen other posts where folks connected dots with straight lines and let the saw fair the curve, and then there are the project sites where a smooth curve is drawn and cut 1/8" proud and planed down to the line.

I guess my main question is how critical is the relationship between panel edges. If I fair out the odd bump on a side panel, and then run into one or two more oddities on a deck panel or bottom panel, and similarly dispatch those, am I introducing a growing error? Or do you just deal with it as you go?

This is all fun, and I appreciate the comments, all.

: TD--

: Just about every table of offsets contains an unfair point or two. When you
: say you're off by 1-3 mm is that on the full sized pattern or the model
: scale pattern? On a 17 foot side panel 3mm is about as much deviation as
: I'd want to deal with; on a 2 foot model 1mm is probably acceptable
: accuracy. In either case I'd always opt for the fair curve over the
: plotted points, especially given the small amounts that you seem to be
: off.

: I don't work with Illustrator (at least not any more than I have to!) Does it
: have a function to draw a fair curve through a set of points?

: Mike Scarborough
: Friendship Kayak