Stitch & Assembly

Phase 3: Stitching the Hull

This next step is a two-person job, so you'll want a helper. This is where the bulkheads get assembled onto the bottom piece and all of the side pieces, tying everything together with metal wiring.

I used thin copper wire to stitch the boat up, and it worked out really well. It was strong, yet malleable enough not to break the wood. Anything thicker risks cracking the panels, which means extra repair work down the line.

We went layer by layer up the boat, stitching together the whole way, until we reached the top and the step was complete.

You...

I used some spacers, a carpenter once gave me, to level the base of my terras, to open the gap at the bow end of panel 1.. Working with the pastry bag was a good experience. When I am done with the Dory I am ready for some nice cake! It was kind of tricky to hit the right mixture of thickened epoxy. At the end I got pretty good at it. After each panel I glued I took a look to the inside and just found very few running epoxy. Of course I thought I could work that good, that not a single wire has to remain in the hull - guess what - I didn’t manage that. I did one batch with about 300ml in one p...

Not to much done today. I pulled out all the wires. Only the once in the bow, the bulkheads and the transom remain. With the help of my wife and Liz we turned the hull around again. I had to sand only this tiny area in the stern. The rest was all good on the inside. Before I didn’t have time and clamps to glue other parts so I did the skeg, the dagger board and the rudder today. The masking tape is attached an I measured and cut the fiberglass cloth. I‘d say all of this took me 4 hours. Ahh forgot to tell that I had to buy more sanding paper (80 grid) and more brushes.