Here we have the completely assembled hull. The deck beams are in place, the stern filled with epoxy and drilled for the rudder ( you don't need to drill this yet, but I did just to make sure the rudder would fit correctly. ), the bulkheads installed, foot braces and rudder controls mounted, the exit holes for the rudder re-enforced and drilled, and everything sanded and sealed with plenty of epoxy.
But, before we attach the deck we have one more step to take. The sheer clamps must be beveled to meet the curve that the deck panels will take when formed over the deck beams. To do this you must make a couple of templates out of scrap lumber with the curve of the deck beams cut into them. You will need one that matches the rear beam and one that matches the front. I also made one that matched the middle beams just in case I needed it. ( I used it a little, but could have done without it. ) With the templates you can lay them across the sheer clamps and gauge how much and what angle to plane the sheer's to match the curve in the templates. Once again, it is not critical to get this absolutely perfect. If you spend too much time trying for a perfect match, you will risk removing too much wood and end up with a real mess and an uneven deck. Take your best shot and remember that any gap on the outside can be filled with epoxy and will eventually be hidden anyway by the rub strips. I took me just over an hour to plane both sheer clamps into shape.
Now place the deck panels on top and make sure you align the center of the cockpit cutouts on the center of the deck beams and make sure that some of the deck overhangs the sides ALL THE WAY AROUND. Make some marks so that you can place the panels back into the exact positions and then remove them all and mix up some thickened epoxy. Spread the epoxy onto the sheers and deck beams where the stern panel is going to rest, align the panel and get ready to nail it into place. Remember, the ring nails are virtually impossible to remove, so you MUST get it right the first time.
Here is a picture of the nail jig used to get them set in nice even spacing.
I nailed the ends closest to the middle of the boat first and worked to the back alternating 3 to 5 nails per side. Don't bash too hard on the last stroke of each nail or you will dimple the deck. Hit the head nice and flat and your nails will set just about flush with the wood. We will take care of the nail head edges later. When you are forming the panels over the deck beams, make sure they are touching the the deck beams. ( I missed this on the middle beams by 1/8 of an inch, but just cut some scrap deck wood and epoxied it into the gap filling it with thickened epoxy. Shouldn't even admit to this mistake since you can't even tell by looking at it, but just in case it happens to you, you won't have to panic! )
Now do the same with the mid panel and then the bow panel. When you are finished nailing, go around and clean up the excess epoxy that has squished out of the joints.
At this point the deck will look lousy with the uneven edges. Carefully cut the excess away to within about 1/4" to 1/8" of the sides and then plane them flush with the side panels. Try to match the angle of the sides and you will have little to no gap between the top of the deck and the rub strips you install later.
I filled the gaps between the deck and the sides with a little thickened epoxy and then sanded it smooth after it cured. This looked great, even though it is going to be hidden by the rub strip. It also makes sure that no water can seep into a gap that did not get sealed with epoxy or paint. Water is woods enemy and you are probably going to get the boat wet, sooner or later!
Now it looks like a kayak! Nice smooth lines and even holes that you can squeeze into and pretend you are out on the water.