Hi Mick,
thanks again for your input.

: don't bevel the panels. that will only make sharp edges OR if you sand them
: round, you will sand thru to the inner core which usually brings attention
: to building irregularities.

: Instead, just round off the inner edge a little so there can be friction betw
: the panels when stitched, and then fill the gap with thickened epoxy - and
: THAT ONLY gets rounded off to give a less sharp edge as well as a clean
: edge to the panel.

I was thinking of going along these lines. I have toyed with the idea of using silica-thickened epoxy for the corners between panels to give contrast to the color of the wood panels. I have a couple syringes left from my Merganser build.

: if you are going to stain the yak like i did, stain and seal the panels
: before even cutting.

I don't think I plan on staining the wood. I have been using cheap luan plywood so far, but the wood I found has a nice red color. There is a problem, though. I have been using 1/4 inch plywood, as I couldn't find any 1/8 inch at the local hardware stores.

This has worked fine, until the last couple days, when I started work on the curved fore-deck. I after steaming, I got the first deck panel (you could call it the knee-brace panel) on the right side of the kayak in place. This panel went in without too much problem, but the mirrored panel on left split at the knee bend. I have gone through 3 more panels with no success. One more split at the knee, one at the footwell, and on the third the top layer of veneer bubbled where the foot bent back up at the ankle.

Tomorrow I am checking a local veneer company to see if I can find some 1/8 inch plywood. I thought I may be able to pull off the deck curves with 1/4 inch, but 1/8 inch will save me a lot of time and frustration.

Thanks again for your help.

Brian Boston