Is it a boat yet?

At some point the pile of wood comes together to the point when one can stand back and take comfort in the fact that this really will be a boat.  There is much still to be done but at least now I have a good idea what I will be dealing with.  I reached that point yesterday.

After struggling with the centre thwart support which just would not meet the floor of the boat and after snapping a number of cable ties by putting too much strain on them by trying brute strength to move what could not be moved I took my dremel tool and relieved the joint of the two bottom planks. That, coupled with using the weight of the boat itself to force the planks into place ended with a successful closure of the gap between plank and thwart.

I have had to do some extra frigging with the planks at the bow to have smooth joins at the plank edges but by using temporary blocks and screwing the planks in with washers on the screws to spread the load most of the reluctant planks are now ready to be epoxied in place.

The S-F building instructions call for cardboard templates for the bulkheads but I had charged ahead and used full plywood panels based on the plans.  Luckily, although these did not fit exactly it was a matter of trimming back rather than adding on. The bow was worse than the stern and I suspect some of it could be blamed on my jury rig on the top plank when I had to replace the plank end owing to improper cutting. With two butt joins rather than one the curvature and flexibility of the plank may have been compromised.  I know that some of the flatness in the curves will be taken out when the  inwales and outwales are fitted on and clamped in place.

At the end of the day it does, indeed, look like a boat. And quite a splendid boat it promises to be.  I have promised myself a full day of rest resisting temptation and the fates before beginning the many-part process of epoxying the plank joins then taping the seams and sanding and smoothing and sanding and smoothing and sanding…..

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