The Planking Begins



Now with all the forms, transom, and stem shaped, squared and beveled, the battons are laid out on the plank lands. These will be used to derive the plank templates from.

Plank battons laid out on forms

With a wide length of 1/4" MDF clamped down to the keelson and first botton I am able to trace the actual plank shape onto it from the inside; both at the land and at the keelson. The MDF is the removed and the traced pattern is smoothed out, then cut and planed to the line (constantly checking for fairness by eye and feel).

When the template is cut, I test fit it to the forms again and clean up  any issues of fairness that might occur. When I'm happy that the template is fair and ready, I lay it on the marine grade 6mm plywood and cut two of these out. One is flipped to be a mirror image of the other. This gives me the first plank, (garboard) for each side.

 

I apologize for the lack of photos for this proccess. I got carried away in the work and neglected to take any photos  Here is one of the planks after they were on.  A small batch of thickened shmoots (peanut butter thich epoxy) is mixed and applied to the transom, keelson, and stem where the strake will be clamped. Screws are then driven thru the strake into the keelson and stem to hold it in place while the epoxy cures. These screws will be removed and the holes filled with epoxy during the second plank application. I coat the screws with a little bar wax (soap) to help them come out and keep the epoxy from sticking to them.

 

Rolling bevels

With the garboard strake cured I can remove all screws and clamps. Then begin the beveling of the lap area for the second strake.  This is done much like the way I beveled the transom. Laying the edge of a plane on its side and checking the angle all along the length of the strake with each of the forms.  This rolling bevel will allow the next strake to glue flush the the garboard strake. 

Rebait or Gain

 

At the bow I make a rebait (gain) starting about 7" back from the point and easing down all the way to the last ply at the point. This is so that the end of the strake eases in flush with the first.  This is only done to the bow ends of each strake.

 

The same proccess is continued again and again for each of the 8 strakes (per side).

Monday morning and I have 4 of the 8 strakes on each side now. I will attempt to get 1 strake on each evening during the week.  With the addition of the keel and skeg in between glueing of these strakes.

If all goes according to plan, I should be ready to flip the hull by the 4th of July weekend.