I have been meaning to make a follow up post all week but was unfortunately unable to do so. Alas, I would like to share the progress made over last weekend.
I have began fairing the frames on my longboat - a process which turned out to be more time consuming than I originally imagined. However, I understand this step to be vital for the aesthetics of the completed model, so I have been taking my time, but fear that I am overcomplicating things. At this point I also have questions - so many questions! I really want this part to be perfect, as the planking is visible from inside the boat, and I don't really want any filler to be visible.
I decided to only focus on one half of the hull at a time, working from amidship to the bow, and then again from amidship to stern. I began by soaking one of the strakes in hot water for about 15mins to make it nice and flexible. I then lay it down on the frames, beginning at the keel, gently bending it along to the bow to observe the extent of the fairing required. Thereafter, using a fine needle file, I would file a bit of the frame and check again.
It was at this point where I had my first question. "Where does one start the planking?" Does one start with the garboard running directly on top of the keel, or do you start with it overlapping halfway as below?
I then had my second question: "How common are stealer planks, and am I doing it wrong?"
Given the approach from the above picture, is it normal to a) add stealer planks on the keel, and b) would this particular model require it, or am I doing it wrong?
I repeated this process while making pencil marks on the frames to indicate where each strake would go. The end result is looking something like this:
At this point I have not yet completed the fairing, as I am hoping to gain some insight from others who can assist with the above questions. As mentioned, I understand the importance of proper planking, and really want to do a good job here as it will be harder to hide mistakes than to just do it right in the first place.
Any guidance would be much appreciated!