...
: Any comments? (Besides the one I would make which would be
: "Why the heck did you keep going when you must have seen
: that the gaps were too large???")

Hi Eric,
If you want an angled cut, any really sharp edged tool will do, your X-acto knife, utility knife, chisels. A router would do the job as well, depending on the bit you used. A small plunge router or a small "laminate trimmer" would be quite controllable. Something like a Dremel with appropriate bit could also be used. If you go slow and carefully it would all work.

As far as comments, what comes to mind is a stripper I saw at SSTIKS - it was finished in an opaque black. Looked great. If you are willing to consider a solid colour then gaps cease to matter, as long as the hull is fair. Some S&G boats are finished with solid colours as well, check out Dwayne Strosaker's Point Bennetts on his site. They look sharp too. I've read about folks just quickly slapping the strips together on a stripper, ignoring gaps, for a quick build. They say it doesn't affect strength at all.

Then if you still wanted a woodgrain kayak after that, it would be a great reason to build another.... ;-)