: OK, back to square one. I screwed the gunwales to the two end spreaders and
: rachet-belted on top of that. As you see it did not work.

: 1. Should I worry about the angle of the gunwales for a toddlers boat?

: 2. When you build a longer kayak with a width of a smaller percentage of
: leingth is it easyer to keep the angle.

: 3. if I have a 1/2 inch offset what do I do?

: Thanks again.
: Sage

Sucks that your gunwale broke. What kind of wood are you using?

1. Personally, I wouldn't worry about gunwale angle for a kid's boat - they'll never notice or care.

2. Yes, because the bends are more gradual - but, the angle is also formed as a function of the shape of the sheer.

3. If your gunwales are the same length, and there is still an offset like in the pic, then one wale is bending further than the other. So, things are not square. Try lining the centers of everything up on a dead straight chalkline to get things square.

Here's another source for traditional kayak building techniques:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Greenland-Kayak/

If this is your first boat build, you might consider non-traditional construction, which is both easier and faster. Check out Tom Yost's "Sea Flea" kids kayak. http://yostwerks.com/SeaFlea1.html There are complete building instructions on his site, for free.

And, finally, keep in mind that I am often wrong about lots of things! Many of the real traditional kayak building experts, which I certainly am not, hang out at the QajaqUSA.org forum, here: http://qajaqusa.org/cgi-bin/GreenlandTechniqueForum_config.pl

Good luck!