Here are the first steps. The gunwales are on the forms.
The knees and stems are glues together with thickened epoxy.
These are the stems and knees (glued together) and the breasthooks.
The first part of the process is setting up the forms. Gunwales, keel stringer, knees and stems are placed on the forms and the breast-hooks are glues and screwed to the gunwales. The keel-stringer is glued to the knees.
Stringers are temporarily tied on the forms, to establish the spacing and hold them until the ribs are lashed in place.
The rib-bending process. We use cedar for the ribs, each rib is 1/4" x 7/8", with rounded edges. Since our boats are singles, and lengths don't exceed 4', we are able to use off-cuts I get from Salmon Falls Canoe in Shelburne Falls, MA.
The ribs are steamed and bent into place after the stingers are in place. Then are then lashed to the stringers. Sometimes it goes very smoothly; sometimes we break a few ribs before we get it right.
Here are the boats with all ribs in place and ready to be skinned.
