: Hi everyone,
: I'm new to this forum, but starting on my 3rd boat. The first 2 are
: Shearwater hybrids, now I am working on one of Nick's designs,
: the Great Auk 14. I bought the kit from CLC and have started
: laying things out. I have the box beam assembled. Unfortunately
: it's not completely straight. It's off by about 1/4". I've
: heard various opinions on the CLC forum as to how to deal with
: this (wedges, hog out the forms, pull it straight with the sheer
: strips, etc). Any comments here?
: I've been watching Nick's vids and am considering using his spacer
: and wedge method of laying out the forms. I'm not real thrilled
: with the particle board forms supplied. They look real brittle.
: Hopefully I can avoid screwing thru them. I'm looking for any
: tips on the best way to do this. I've also heard that this
: method will straighten the box beam if the spacers are cut

I second the advice to simply make the holes in your forms oversized, and use the clearance to align them in spite of your strongback's bend or twist. As long as your internal strongback is stiff and well supported, it does not matter whether it is perfectly straight. Any departure from straight can be dealt with by the placement of your forms. You should support your strongback rigidly first, in position ready for stripping, then align the forms using tight strings as guides.

Good luck,

Allan Edie