: Hi
: Use the cheaters and use them before you really think you need them. If put
: in when the gap to fill is small, they are less noticeable (although they
: are barely noticeable anyway), easier to put in and faster to put in. That
: said, when I look at my boats or the boats of others, unless I really
: examine them closely, I don't see the cheaters at all. What seems like a
: big deal when you are building, usually ceases to matter when you are
: paddling.
: best
: don

I'm doing a Night Heron...and the first strip wasn't easy...but...then again, it wasn't hard either. However...you don't want those strips following that curved line when you reach the chines. Bending them the easy way is...well..easy...but with that shift in angle to the bottom of boat...the hard bend can give you some trouble with rippling the wood. It was suggested to me that I SHOULD have the strips all running pretty parallel when I hit the sharp chines.....glad I did. Plus....the first cheater took me about 1 1/2 hours to make...by the 5th one...I was turning that baby out in 10 minutes...kinda fun actually