The instructions suck and .......... They need some step by step pics and way better building plans.
I've noticed the same thing about other old Dumas boat kits. They were designed back in the sixties when it was usually grandpa (with 50+ years of modeling experience) that built these things. He could read between the worthless instruction lines and figure these things out.
Anyway, I've been slooooooooooooowly working on a Dumas SK Daddle (36") for .40 size engines. This boat is similar to what you are building, just bigger. I remember that the sides were one of the most, if not the most perplexing part of the build. They didn't seem like they were cut to the right shape and, for some odd reason, Dumas cut each side into two separate pieces :unsure: . Net result-more confusion and building agony. I guess this was to separate the young grandpas from the older grandpas
. Come to think of it, I'm going to be a younger grandpa
.............at age 43
but I digress!
As has been mentioned, you'll need to trim a whole lot off of the sides. I trimmed off a ton. They could've saved a lot of trees by making the sides closer to final shape and size. I spent a lot of time looking at my frame and holding the side pieces against it so that I could epoxy the pieces for the best fit. A lot of time!
I've never built a kit before.....
You are using a slow set epoxy glue, right? I would not suggest anything like 5 min epoxy. It makes for a quick build but just doesn't have the working time to wick into the wood fibers for a good, strong, long lasting, vibration resistant bond! I learned this the hard way building boats when I was much younger!