A Stitch In Time

First thing Saturday morning we stacked the matching pieces together and sanded the edges to fair out any unusual high points or uneven trimming of the fiberglass. With that out of the way, Kathy started drilling the holes for the stitches.

Using 18 gauge copper wire sold as beading wire, we loosely stitched the two bottom pieces together.

The stitched seam will become the keel line of the boat when we open the book.

The plans assume one permanent bulkhead (second from the right) and three temporary bulkheads used to set the shape of the boat. In our case, we've decided to install a permanent forward bulkhead which we'll create from the piece that is third from the right.

We installed the two sides of the hull using the same loose stitches and then flipped the assembly over so we could make sure we kept the boat straight as we tightened up all the stitches.

Finally - right side up and sitting in cradles on the strong back. Just in time - the sheet of material we'd been working on is next to be sacrificed.

With the hull right side up, a fillet of epoxy thickened with wood flour is added between the stitches.

With the hull seams set to cure,

it's time to start laying out all of the deck forms. There are eleven forms to be marked out, cut out, and shaped to their final fit.