: the difference is from 0 to 3/32". Does it make sense that
: if the center lines are aligned the real difference is half of
: the what I see?

I have spent a lot of time on this forum yelling and screaming about futzing in detail hell, making mountains out of molehills, cultivating tedium, etc., etc., etc. These boats are time-consuming enough as it is, so quit fretting over every little detail and just get a working boat to the stinkin' water for Pete's sake; nobody's ever gonna notice all the little imperfections unless you find it impossible to resist the urge to point 'em all out (as most of us do for whatever strange reason).

But I'll allow getting a little more methodical on the forms and strongback, you bet. Good place to futz with details if y' ask me, yup, yup, yup.

And, this just in from the semantics department: "Strongback" -- does that word refer to the spine, or beam, or to the entire mold upon which a boat is fashioned? I am tempted to lobby for calling the spine a "strongback", and a strongback that is decorated with forms a "mold" ................. except I believe the old canoe builders called the whole works a strongback. Whatever, Professor Abercrombie is exactly correct, as usual: external strongbacks can be all sorts of out, but as long as the forms are lined up correctly then we're good. But .... I'd think the same would be true with internal strongbacks also? I mean, it's imperative you have adjustment and line things up to a string unless your spine is made of steel or some other metal.

For more on strongbacks according to Kurt, see http://ngc704.home.comcast.net/~ngc704/NewOI/

Hey - why am I typing? I should be drinking this ice cold Shiner Hefeweizen. I wish y'all would stop distracting me from important things.