: I need some ideas from the collected knowledge of the forum. My first build
: -a Cunningham/Morris kayak- has developed cracks in the coating all along
: the hull. I have stripped the skin and started to reconfigure the frame.
: Aside from some comfort issues that I have already worked on I would like
: to get a nice fair curved front deck, much like all those strippers I have
: lusted after. Since I am a retired sheet metal worker my first thought was
: to use a piece of thin gage aluminum to support the skin. Since this would
: add 2 -3 lbs to an already over built boat, and somehow just didn't seem
: right, I would like to explore other alternatives. Another thought was to
: string some Spectra fishing line back and forth from the masik to the bow,
: with the strands about 1/2" apart to support the skin. I would have
: to tension the line to keep it from sagging, and brace the masik to keep
: it steady. I am afraid that tensioning would pull some extra rocker in the
: hull, and shrinking the skin would pull more. That's as far as my thinking
: has gotten me. I would like to keep it as simple as possible and fairly
: light. Any ideas would be welcomed, no matter how different.

: Thanks
: Bill

The only realistic way to get a fair curve in a SOF is to have the fabric run to a curved bulkhead/frame and then to the bow, stretched between the two. But that also means it'll be unsupported over it's entire length. If the deck beams are close to the unsupported fabric I suppose it won't matter except it'll tend to vibrate when it's on the car.

Bill H.