Building the Eun Mara "Skerry"
Garboard
I know the garboard is just another plank, so does not really warrant a separate page. I think it's a bit different for several reasons:
- It's a psychological landmark, marking the start of the long planking process at the end of which you have something that looks like a boat.
- It's wider than the other strakes, and just "looks" different.
- It's attached to the keelson and after fastening in place it must be shaped to accept the outer keel and deadwood. All operations that don't apply to the other strakes.
All fairly fuzzy points, I know.
I attached the planks to the keelson with temporary screws every 6 inches or so. The holes will eventually be concealed by the keel.
Here are the fore and aft planks ready to be scarphed to the midships section.
When dry, the completed garboard was removed from the building frame and the scarphed joins sanded smooth. Then the final shape was marked using a baton. The clamps are holding the baton against panel pins that were intially positioned according to the the plans, but then slightly adjusted to get a fair curve. (Yes, there is a place in the boatshed for cheap plastic clamps with flourescent colours!)
Blocks fastened to the moulds helped to apply the twist to the fore and aft planks.
Stem view of the garboard, showing the considerable twist. The ratcheting lever-grip clamps are great for drawing the plank edge down to the moulds. The pressure on the moulds tends to force them out of alignment, emphasising the need for a sturdy arrangement (probably a bit sturdier than mine, in retrospect).