Batten down the Hatches

With the bulkheads, transom and bow stem ready to go, the side panels of the boat are next. These are made from 1/4" birch plywood and full 4x8 sheets will be joined by butt blocks to acheive the necesary length. The butt blocks are made from extra 1/2" plywood, secured with nails and glue.

The plans offer a breakdown of points to be plotted on the sheets of plywood in order to be connected and thus give the gentle curves necesary for a fair shape.

At each point, I drive a small finishing nail to act as a rest for the long batten board that will be bent to act as my guide. I burn through a lot of pencil lead to get all the necesary lines. I also mark the location of each bulkhead on the inside and outside of each side panel.

After all the lines are checked, double checked and finally checked by someone who knows what they're doing(Papa), I settle in for another long date with the jigsaw.

 With one side finished, it's a bit quicker to simply flip the works over and trace the outline for the starboard side, remembering to put the butt blocks on the inside and marking all bulkhead locations correctly. Don't think I didn't almost screw this up, because I did. Luckily the little penciled scribbles all over will be quite covered on the finished product.

One more long date with the jigsaw and it'll be time for a party with friends. It's finally time to make something that looks like a boat and the many hands will be very helpful.