An inch or two off the forms sounds like quite a lot. I'm guessing that there are some concave shapes at the bow and stern that are difficult to bend strips into. But before you go too far, I'd want to check the shape and spacing of your forms and endforms and also the internal stems and their beveling. It might just be a difficult are to strip, but it might also be a mispositioned form contributing to your problem. Any chance you could post a few pictures?

Mike Scarborough
Friendship Kayak