planking

I aligned the bottom and used two screws to attach it to the cradle; this will make working and truing everything much simpler as I go. I'm using 20 gauge copper grounding wire for the stitching. It's a good compromise between flexibility and strength. Most of the copper ties were pushed through from the inside because it will be easier to apply the epoxy fillets to the inside. I used a stitch about every foot or so, just making it tight enough to bring the planks together. There's quite a bit of tension at the transom so I've used two stitches per plank.  

   I've epoxied the planks to the stem rabbet. The narrow piece of wood to the right of the stem is to help align perpendicular to the bottom; it would be very easy to mess this part up. The stern will also be done this way.

So far so good. It's nice to see the boat finally taking shape. Next will be epoxy "welding" the planks and framing.