: Bobby,

: That is a great looking boat! I have always admired the Sea Spirit design.
: Unfortunately, your hydrostatics page suggests that I need a bit more
: volume. (or perhaps it's my bathroom scale that suggests that I need it!)
: The hull I am building will be deeper and a bit fuller in the ends to get
: the needed volume.

: On the SS17 page, it appears that you built the support structure with hatch
: frames installed prior to deck attachment. Did this create alignment
: issues with the stripped deck? Or did you cut the hatch holes in the deck
: afterward?Also, I'm curious about the stem pieces, they look dark on the
: outside; are they veneered?

Dave

Thanks for the compliment, and it is a very low volume boat. The hatch frames were installed prior to attaching the deck. Before gluing down the deck I cut a small opening for the hatch, just enough to get some clamps in. After the deck was glued down, I opened up the holes to match the hatch recess.

Both the inner and outer stem pieces are made of solid 5/4 clear cedar.

Inner Stem http://www.seaspiritkayaks.com/SSS17/003_Forms/sss17forms_3.htm

Outer Stem http://www.seaspiritkayaks.com/SSS17/004_Strip_Hull/sss17striphull_9.htm

Please keep us posted on the progress of your kayak. That’s a very cleaver way of designing it.

Bobby