12
in the water for about 1 minute or less. Remove the plank and with
your fingers test the plank for its willingness to bend. They should
bend easily. They will be hot when removed from the water but will
cool rapidly in a few seconds so they can be safely touched. Clamp
hot/wet plank into position to dry as shown in photo 11. It is
important to note that while the hood end of the garboard looks
symmetric in its taper, it is not. Refer to plan sheet 4 to ensure you
apply the correct side of the garboard to the keel.
A very useful clamp to hold the planks in place as they dry can be
made from the common binder clips available at office supply
stores. Photo 12 illustrates how they are made.
Once the garboard and sheer clamps have dried we are ready to
shape them if needed to meet the lining off marks on the hull. This
can be done with the cosmetic sanding boards previously
mentioned. It is important from here through the planking stage
that the planks come close to meeting the marks. If you should find
your self with a plank that doesn’t meet the marks shape the next
one to get back to the marks. The sheer plank is easy to shape and
align at the stem since the top edge of the plank hardly twists at all.
Just shape it to meet the line on the hood end pattern.
Photo 12, making clamps from binder clips
Photo 13, plank hood end locating pattern
The garboard must be carefully aligned as shown on sheet 2. The
garboard twists quite a bit where it meets the rabbet requiring more
care to locate it properly. Study the illustration on sheet 2 showing
the placement of the garboard. A straight edge aligned along the
mark on the pattern may help to accomplish this. When you are
satisfied that the sheer and garboard planks are properly bent and
shaped to the marks they are ready to glue to the frames.
Remember that the planks are not glued to molds 1, 2, and 3.
Photo 14, sheer plank & garboard bent, shaped, fitted and ready to install
Proceed with each pair of planks as you did the garboard and sheer
plank, moving up from the sheer and down from the garboard.
Hot/wet bend, clamp in position, let dry, shape and fit to the
marks, glue in place. Planks 2, 3, and 4 also have considerable twist
at the bow and require careful shaping and fitting referring to the
line off marks and the hood end locater pattern. The remaining
planks are easier to fit. As you approach the turn of the bilge the
gap between the lower and upper planks diminishes. It is a good
idea to put the bend in the remaining planks while the gap is still
wide enough to get your clamps in. The smallest size of binder clip
is useful here. With all the planks bent proceed to fit and glue until
you reach the shutter plank, plank 6.
