: First, an introduction to what I've been working on, Then a question...

: I drew a Greenland- style kayak, 18' LOA by 20" beam. Basically, it is
: the shape and proportion of a SOF hull sized for me, but S&G construction.
: Being a one-of a kind, I'm now at the stage of adjusting the stitched hull
: to get it to fit the forms. (the preliminary offset table needs a few
: tweaks!) But I will soon be ready to fillet and glass, which brings me to
: a question.

: Since this is a prototype, at first I planned to deck with plywood. But, I
: also want to get some experience with other building techniques, so I am
: considering stripping the deck.

: Keep in mind that in this design, most of the deck will go flat across from
: gunwale to gunwale, like a SOF. The cockpit area will have the 'hump' for
: the toes and knees.

: How do I make sure that the deck remains properly aligned when it is finally
: attached? And I also need to get more glue surface in there so I can round
: over the edge. I was considering a couple of options: 1)Make a shear clamp
: like a CLC boat, to give a gluing surface for deck attachment. Then make
: the outermost strip hang over a little so that after the deck is attached,
: it can be sanded fair.

: 2)Build the shear clamp in the proper place on the underside of the deck.
: This option may have the advantage that I could add carlins for support
: directly to the underside of the deck, and install the whole thing as an
: assembly.

: What are other hybrid builders doing?

: Also, should I build the coaming before or after attaching the deck?

: Regards,

: Dave Murphy

Dave,

The way I attached the deck on my hybrid Cormorant was to use a combination of shear clamps and taped joint. I made the rear deck flat so I decided to use shear clamps from the rear bulkhead to the stern. From the bow to the front bulkhead, I also used a shear clamp. In the cockpit area, I used a fillet and tape. When I stripped the deck, I allowed the strips to run off the edge of the deck. I trimmed the deck oversize before fiberglassing. Make sure you leave about 1/4" extra around the edge, because the deck contracted slightly when the inside was glassed. I think it is easier to build the coaming (and hatches) prior to attaching the deck. You can find some pictures at www.loup-garou.net.

Kurt