Prior to drilling, the underside of the deck needs some added support near the cockpit. Plywood plates are glued in place with epoxy and allowed to cure overnight. While the deck is curing, I began drilling the stitching holes in the other panels. A small jig is prepared that has holes spaced 6 inches. This jig makes it easier to drill the 1/16 inch holes along the edge of the panels. Stovepipe wire will later be used to stitch the panels together and the hull will begin to take shape.

Now comes the stitching phase (Tip 5). It is magical how the panels come into alignment as you stitch from the middle to the ends. After the two keel panels were stitched together, the temporary frames were set in place (Tip 9). They have to be positioned exactly (down to the 1/16 inch) relative to the center joints to correctly position the panels. As the panels are added, they are then also stitched to the frames to pull the joints tight against the frame. You can see the stitching wires in the pictures as black twists. The wires are inserted from below until you get near the bow and stern. Then they face out so that they do not interfere with the alignment and that they can more easily be removed. It is now January 27.

Now the excitement is building because a hull is actually taking form before my eyes. The first picture below shows four panels stitched together, the second shows six and the third shows the outside at the stern. Two more panels will complete the hull and then it will be time to carefully tighten all the twists and check the alignment prior to gluing.