: I finished building a router jig to cut the rib mortises in the gunwales of
: the greenlander I have underway, what i did to get more sheer was to let
: the 2x4 im using sit out for the last two (very wet) weeks with about 60
: lbs. of scrap iron hanging from it this worked very well. I want to use my
: 7 1/2" freud thin kerf to split the 2x4 after i rout the mortises,
: this will take two passes on my table saw. Can any one point out at any
: problems I'm liable to run into? I've probably got 3" of curve in
: 16'. Thanks.

As West mentioned, sheer can be increased by adding wedges to the gunwale boards at the bow and stern. Increasing the angle of the gunwales (say, from Morris/Cunningham's 17 degrees to Boucher's 28 degrees) automatically increases sheer without adding wedges or fooling around with curved wood that may not be stable. I would have serious concerns about how well your curved gunwales will maintain their shape.