: 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. :-)

Thanks Allan, that all makes sense. It's actually a good example of learning from others who have gone before because I hadn't even considered the hard chine, but as you say, follow the designers instructions.
Just to save any confusion and Mike any embarassment, I was the one who suggested running the cheater strips past the sheerline & trimming, Mike was pointing out that the result may be lumpy. Thinking about it a bit more, I could imagine the forms getting in the way especially when trying to smooth out the concave curve without a special tool. It's one of those ideas you think of at night in the twilight zone just before nodding off to blissful slumber.

Glen G