: The perceived consensus seems to have answered my initial question,
: that is to leave the design alone. So the next stage is managing
: the cheater strips or just bending thinner strips. Mike
: suggested that running the cheater strips past the sheerline
: & then using the sheer strip as a batten to trim all the
: cheater strips in one foul swoop might give a lumpy result, I'd
: be interested to know if anybody has actually tried it or are
: there any further thoughts on doing this 'cause it initially
: seems to have some merit but I could easily be missing
: something. I don't want to run into a whole lot of problems
: unnecessarily.

: Glen G

A lot of people have their own favorite method that works well for them and they often stick with that method because after a few goes they have discovered and found a way to deal with all the little issues that arise.

It may be the case that a particular technique works well for one person because of the shape of the kayak they are building, the tools they have available, the characteristics of the timber they are using, their skill level, their patience, and the standard of workmanship they are trying to achieve. For example on a fairly hard chine design like the Night heron and to a large extent, the Petrel, you can save yourself some almost insurmountable problems by fitting cheater strips so that you reach the chine at both ends of the kayak at the same time. (I know cheater strips are not the only way to achieve that.) On a very soft chine design, it hardly matters is you reach what little chine there is at different times because in that case running strips over the chine is not difficult. So the fact that someone has had great success with a particular technique does not guarantee that it is the best method for you to use. They may have been building quite a different shaped hull from yours and might have access to tools that you don't have.

One way to reduce the chances of running into unexpected problems is to follow the instructions for the design you are building. When I built my Night Heron, I followed the instructions that came with the plans and the suggestions in Nick's book and had no problems. Because those techniques worked for me, I have built subsequent kayaks pretty much the same way. I knew before I started that those techniques had worked for Nick Schade and I found they worked for me.

For what it is worth, I have generally used cheater strips more as a way of getting to the chine at both bow and stern at the same time than because of any difficulty getting strips to sweep up at the ends. On my first build, once I got to the chine, I alternated strips on the bottom of the hull from the centre and from the sides. I thought it would produce a nice pattern. It does, but I basically never see it. The strips coming in from the side can get quite difficult to fit, depending on the amount of curve, so I have convinced myself that I like the pattern I get if I add all the strips on the bottom of the hull from the centre. That way I am just adding straight strips and so it is about two or three times as quick and much easier to hold the strips in place while the glue dries and I get neater glue joints.

One reason I don't use some of the successful techniques I have seen described at times is that for a really neat job they depend on a particular tool or more skill than I have. For example, I don't own a Japanese pull saw but I have used one in the past and there are some trimming jobs that I know I could do quite well with a pull saw, but I also know that I wouldn't be happy with the result if I attempted it with the saws I own.

So before you leap in and try a variation someone suggests, think long and hard about whether it is necessary or suitable for the design you are building and whether you have the tools to do it as neatly as you wold like.

PS. I'm relieved that you seem to have decided to build the Petrel the way it was designed. That way you know you will not be creating new problems. I also think it is a very attractive design. :-)