Planking Begins

First things first ... I began by having a really good clean up. There was so many wood-shavings and sawdust from shaping the stem and transom frames, not to mention bevelling all the moulds (molds).

Next job was to mask off the edges of the moulds to stop the planks sticking to them.

My major problem is space. I don't have room to erect a workbench or tool storage, therefore I took the opportunity to tidy everything up - won't last though. Next time I build I will have to rent/hire a workshop large enough.

I spend some time looking at other boat builders blogs and noted how many sing the praises of a Japanese rasp. I thought I would get one to help to bevel the moulds. Little did I realise when I ordered it on Amazon that it would be coming from Japan. Consequently, it arrived yesterday ... too late for the bevelling. It seems a really great tool though, and will get used.

SHINTO JAPANESE DOUBLE SIDED COARSE & FINE SAW RASP

For those who haven't encountered strip-planking before, I should point out that the planks are very narrow. I use Western Red Cedar because it is straight grained, knot-free and strong although there is a tendency to split or snap if mishandled. I use the type that is called, "bead and cove" that's to say one edge is rounded and one is scooped out into a cove. In the picture below I have placed a pencil in order that you can better judge the sizes involved.

The lengths I have are about 22 feet long (7 m). As you can imagine they are prone to whip around which can cause them to snap. However, once they are in place they are perfect for the job as they have to bend and twist around all the moulds.

Here you can see the first plank in place with the second being offered -up for fitting prior to glueing them together.