: I am at the keel with the stern and 1+ strips away at the bow. What problems
: have I created for myself by not arriving at the same time, and how can I
: fix them? I am making my first boat - Great Awk. Also, It looks like quite
: a transition between side strips and the keel - vertical to horizontal.
: Any tips...please and thank you Scott E.

First, if you have an odd gap to fill, say 1-1/2 strip widths, rip two strips to widths that will fill the gap instead of working with one large and one tiny width.

If you have strips that don't want to follow the same plane, one coming down from the keel, vertical, and one coming up from the side, at a different angle that won't match, you must make them match to get a smooth transition. You can make the transition work in a number of ways.

On my boats I use an external strongback which is below the hull. This allows me to use a stick wedged on the strongback to push up a strip edge to make it meet the correct angle on keel strips.

Another way is to use a tie down strap, like the ones you use on your roof rack to tie down boats, to tie around the hull in the spot that needs persuasion and shove a wooden wedge between the strap and the strip to press the strip down to the right angle. BE CAREFUL though! It's easy to overdo the shaping and create a dip in your hull.

And another way is to make a bridge or two of a piece of scrap strip hot glued behind the strips to align them, if you can get in there to hold them in place until the hot glue sets up.

I've also used a strip wedge with two small squares of thin plywood held together with a bolt and a wingnut to fit between the strips during glue-up to align strips. The wedge fits in the gap where the next strip will go and the plywood pieces bridge over a couple strips so when you tighten the wing nut everything is on the same plane, if you follow me.

Hope this is what you're looking for.

All the best,

Rob Macks
Laughing Loon CC&K
www.LaughingLoon.com