I built my Outer Island with a T-beam external strongback because I built in the living room of my apartment and the T-beam was much easier to assemble: 1) Take (2) 2x4's, 2) glue and nail them together!

During stripping, that set-up worked fine, but when I pulled the staples, the forms instantly fell loose. (The instructions said that they would stay in place for fairing, then the forms would be wiggled loose, but the strapping tape around my forms did an all-too-good job of preventing the glue from sticking.) I guess I should have left a few staples in the perimeter, did the bulk of the fairing, then remove the forms. Fairing the boat with no support wasn't fun. Had I made the internal strongback, the whole contraption would stay intact for the entire duration of the project. It would make for a nice support for fairing/sanding as well as give you a place to park your hull while working on the deck, helping to ensure that the hull doesn't warp on you. Instead, I had to install a few forms and cinch them in place with cargo straps.

If I had the equipment, I would go with the internal strongback.

Dean