Bringing the two bottom hull panels together at the bow was a bit of a chore.
A note about the image at the top of this post : All those bulkheads are not glued in at this point. I just had them sitting there for dry fitting.
Pulling the Bow Tight
In short, I did this single-handed in increments throughout a Saturday. I was too chicken to pull it tight all at once.
As most people have done, I used a plane to shape a bevel on the corners that are to marry up. This helps keep the pieces from slipping over each other as they are brought together. I also used towels soaked in hot water to help the wood flex.
Starting a couple of feet from the bow I used a length of rope to start pulling the panels together. I’d cinch until the creaking noises made me nervous and then tie it off. I’d add wire stitches to any holes that were now meeting and then let the contraption sit under a hot towel for a few minutes. After a bit, I added a second piece of rope closer to the bow and used that to pull the pieces even closer together. Then I’d take out the slack created in the first piece of rope. Re-wet the towel and let it sit.
Quite a ways off still…
I would end up adding two more pieces of rope, proceeding closer to the bow with each loop. As the bow shaped up and became narrower, the loops of rope began to slip, losing their grip.
From here on, I would every so often cinch up all the loops a little more and then re-wet the towel with hot water. Let it sit a while, then repeat.
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Finally
As you can see, once the panels were close enough I stitched in Bulkhead #1 so to help hold the shape. I also drilled holes for additional stitches in several places and even ran two stitches through the same holes at a few locations.
I said this was a chore, but once I had my system down it wasn’t so bad. Not even a minute to cinch all the loops up every now and then.
Next
I’ll glue Bulkheads #4 and #7 to the centerboard trunk…