the forms should line up evenly, my guess is that in the middle you didnt switch the forms facing the other direction. there is 12" between each for 8 is no different.

the sheer strip question is just making sure you have not glued the two sheer strips togeter. there is one for the hull and one for the deck. if you cut off the bead from both its much easier because you have a cove to catch your glue. the cove always facing up.

the two flat edgeds of the sheers will not join together nicely around the curves of the forms, so you have to match them by eye. use a chisle or plane to create a nice joint between the sheer strips.

read that part of the book a few more times and it will make sence. especially after you have started stripping the hull a bit.

nicks book is very orderly, if you follow along exactly it will all work out. but there are a few jumps, so you should read about a chapter ahead.