question re nesting construction

[vinegar joe]

slowly progressing on my catspaw nester (8 footer). i'm now ready to install the center bulkhead(s)...have cut them out and when placed in boat, the port side profiles perfectly while there is a progressive gap on the starboard side that measures about 5/8" up by the gunwale. by tensioning a rope around the hull i can pull this side flush to the bulkhead and i plan to glass them (the bulkheads) in with the rope pulling everything into shape. it takes a surprising amount of force to pull everything tight, but i am thinking that once the dingy is cut in half the underlying resistance should be significantly less. i don't know if i'm asking for advice or just venting. the bulkheads are very symmetrical and the dingy appears pretty "true".....diagonal measurements from stern to bow are very close (within an 1/8 of an inch), but i can see that the starboard gunwale swings a hair wide compared to the port. have others experienced similar? any suggested solutions besides my rope "clamp"?

v.joe

[Garry]

Hi Joe,

Here's my take from my limited experience.

You have not glassed the seams yet, right? When tieing the seams together with wire, small variations can lead to these gaps. You should progressively loosen the wires on the seam. Pull the bottom and sides in to the bulkheads (drill holes and use wire or attach a block to the bulkhead and use screws through the bottom and side panels). Then progressively tighten the wires for the seam.

Check to make sure that you still have a fair curve. I loosened and tightened wires in several spots several times until I got the fit that I wanted. Its one of the big advantages to the stitch and glue method.

Don't worry. You'll get it. Good luck!

[vinegar joe]

garry-

i guess i didn't describe the situation very well....all of the seams are taped and glassed at present. on the nester, the center bulkhead (actually two mirror bulkheads with a ~3/16" space between) is then glassed in four feet forward from the transom (amid ship). again, before glassing the seams i measured diagonally across the boat and things were even and the boat looked balanced...it still does. also, i can force the starboard side to lie flush against the edge/side of the bulkhead, so while things may not be perfect i'm hoping that the final product will be acceptable. if i had it to do over, i would have cut the bulkhead out at the start of the project and wired everything together with it in place (instead of using a 2x2 to spread the beam), then i could have made sure everything was dead-on before taping/glassing. oh, well......

v.joe

[mustangermatt]

Just an idea. If you run a tape measure snugly around the outside of the sheer on both sides you will be able to tell if one is in fact longer than the other which would force it out. If they are the same it may just be on side is stiffer than the other.

[vinegar joe]

i went back and measured the gunwales/chines....same length on each side. also measured the angle where the sides attach to the stern, and to the bow....same angle each side.

i think perhaps i have entered the twilight zone and am defying some basic laws of nature. the boat sides look pretty fair without the bulkhead in place and maybe a little more fair with the bulkhead in place and rope tensioning the starboard side flush to the bulkhead...but in neither case does the boat look obviously out of whack.

i wired and rewired three times when initially stitching her together and thought i had pulled her together in a "fair" manner. perfection again eludes me. hmmm.....

anyway, thanks for all the input/suggestions (and thanks b&b for the forum).

v.joe