Hi Rich, Here is a hot tip it came from a very brilliant builder on this forum:before attaching deck to hull, place a 3" glass tape to span shear ane place daubs of hot glue just enough to hold the tape and allow to droop into hull,then place deck on hull align and tape well,This makes the worst job in building a kayak a simple matter of glassing the inside shear.I will definitely use this on my next build (shear genius). There is no stealing just copping an adaptation of a design,BUT be careful Etienne Muller's creations are works of art and Etienne is a master of that art,so don't bite off more than you can handle and remember there are two F's in kayak building, building and having fun or building and having frustration. Good luck and have fun. Nick R.