Stripping the Deck

I've been designing the deck and having fun getting it started. I'm using the darker cedar to match the last two strips of the hull, with two white strips and then a white kingplank down the middle. Then I'll continue with some medium cedar and fill in the middle in front and behind the cockpit with the white cedar.

Here is a view of the top of the front of the hull. The miters are challenging but rewarding.

Clamps, clamps and more clamps...and I still don't have enough. To quote my son Ben. "When building a boat you can never have enough clamps." Off to Home Depot for more. The 99 cent spring clamps are a bargan. One reason for all the clamps is that I'm stripping the deck without staples. So far this method has worked well since I do no more than one strip at a time on each side.

Clamping the front miter down tight. When I turn the deck over I'll seal that seam with some epoxy and silicia to make it very strong.

I staple a short strip above the strip to be installed and then clamp a piece over it as can be seen to keep it in place.

Another method that works well is using a piece of shim, lifted on one end, screwed in the middle so it forces down pressure on the piece just installed.

A Happy Father's Day to all!.