| Gunnels and Chine Logs installed while flat... |
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I originally got this idea from Steve Redmond's design for
Whisp. Then I
read that Karl Stanbaugh had used it in some of his skiffs and finally
Fritz Funk's Wackie
Lassie he makes with his school kids made me finally decide to try
it.
Since I'm always trying to simplify the build procedure so as to facilitate family boat building I was heartened to find it worked great on the 3 boats I've tried it on.
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Success depends on how thick your rails are and how abrupt
or gradual the curve you're demanding of them. I've done full 1x2 on
Daydream and my version of Wackie Lassie. On my Mini - Sharpie the rails
are 1x2s with a rabbet cut out of them making them L shaped in profile.
Using a table saw or planer to get your rail thickness down to 5/8"
will just about guarantee success. It does make the side bending harder
than when it's just plywood, but nailing or clamping while the sides are
flat is much easier than bending them around the hull after it's 3
dimensional.
Remember the "ol' timers" used to make boat sides out of 1" thick boards and somehow got them to bend! |
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