: Greg,

: No, the pics are not deceiving as there is no twist and only a
: slight bend on the strips. Its the difference between the
: Guillemot and Spring Run designs. The Guillemot how a much more
: "pointy" bow and stern than the Spring Run and that's
: likely what is giving you the trouble. I have not built a
: Guillemot so am not knowledgable about what you are experiencing
: so will be guessing.
: So, a question is in order..
: 1. have you used any "cheater" strips to reduce the
: amount of bend in the bow / stern. If not, suggest you take a
: good look at Nick's book as he covers this approach. You might
: do a search on this forum as it's likely to have been discussed.
: Here's one I found that has a good pic....
:
: http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi/page/1/md/read/id/188084/sbj/use-cheater-strips-pic/

: There is a wealth of information about building a Guillemot if you
: search "cheater strips". Also, might want to post a
: pic of what your bow looks like and ask if anyone who has built
: one can help...

: Bob

With the raised bow and sometimes stern on many kayak designs it would be very difficult to build without cheater strips. They can be hidden if the wood is picked to do that. Most middle color red cedar hides cheaters really well.

Bill H.