Thursday, January 04, 2024

Consultation with Boatcraft: Alignment issues at Puzzle Joints









So these are the photos I showed Rob at the Boatcraft shop. Some of the puzzle joints align. Some do not. So I am off by millimetres at the stern and also slightly at the bow although it is not as obvious. By this point I am worried and I flip the kayak's hull to check how straight the hull is. To my eye, it looks pretty straight, although at the top panels at the bow and stern there looks to be a minor twist.

Rob agreed the puzzle joints didn't align. But photos are tough to evaluate alignment. It wasn't bad enough to recommend that I unfasten the frames and redo the alignment. So I continued on with the build.

When it came time to mount the deck on the hull, there was a minor twist at the bow and stern, not at the water line but at the top panels. That required some extra wires to get the deck and hull to match up properly. You probably can't see it on the finished kayak but I know it is there.

So pay attention to your puzzle joints alignment all through the stitching of panels and especially when stitching in the frames.

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