: Hello Scott,
: The thigh braces are built by gluing a block of wood to the coaming wall - it
: is best to preshape the block as much as possible and then fine tune the
: thing after it has been glued in place. In order for the block to
: "hook" the thigh it is necessary to angle it downward from the
: coaming wall - do this on the bandsaw by setting the table to at least 15
: degrees (more if greater "hook" is desired). It can be a little
: tricky getting the block to fit nice and tight - you'll need to shave a
: little here and a little there - but eventually you'll approach something
: that appears to have grown out of the coaming wall. Sizing the brace
: depends on the size of the thigh, the "degree of grab" you
: desire (see Shawn Baker's braces), and the width of the cockpit opening.
: You can fine tune the fit to the thigh by adding minicell foam to the
: underside of the brace. After the foam is fit, try adding 1/8" or
: 1/4" neoprene as it is not as slick as wet minicell and grabs the
: thigh much better when rolling and bracing.

: Hope this helps.

It does, indeed. Thank you for taking the time to respond in such detail, and for sending the photo. Looking at the prior, pulled-back photo, I'd thought you might have laminated the thing from veneers and space-age materials. Now I see that it was elbow grease and artistry all along. Luvly!
--SF

: Joe G