Yes there is!! Never let perfection stand in the way of progress!! I built three last winter and none of them are perfect. Each is an improvement over the last. I was very discouraged at the pre-varnish stage, I finally just decided to varnish them and get them on the water. Even though I can pick out many flaws, they float, paddle great, and no one pays any attention to the spendy store 'yaks when I show up with mine, flawed as they are! They get scratched with use and you'll re-varnish/repair etc. over the years. Just get 'er done!