: I am a first time builder who needs a little help.

: Where I am at: I bought Nicks book. I selected the Great Auk. I have lofted
: the forms, found a cool way to make the internal stems, built the box beam
: and stand, cut the forms, made a ton of reference lines on the box beam
: and forms.

: I see reference in the book to breakaway tops to the forms in the cockpit
: area. It looks to me that it needs to be the tops of form 8 and 9.

: MY QUESTION: How far down from the deck peak...or up from the shear should
: the cut be made? Is is critical? It looks from photos that it is about an
: inch or two above the top of the strongback cutout.

Wish I could help you with the forms question. I've got the Great Auk set up as my first stripper, but not until next fall or winter. Couple of SoF's first, a Grebe and Merganser ahead of it.

: After we solve this, I need to solve where to get decently clear cedar in
: South Florida. The stock at Lowes and the Depot don't look good.

: Thanks very much for your help.

: Jay

Sometimes it's best not to set your sights on one particular type of wood until you see what's available around you. Looking for just one color can sometimes be rather frustrating. You may not find good cedar, but they may have tons of good clear pine or AYC or something else. If you can find a couple cedar boards, then try to find something that contrasts for a design or solid area on the deck or hull bottom.

Rehd