Strongback

Okay, I finally pulled out the box beam (1/2" ply) I made a few months back so I could start laying out for forms for my Guillemot L.  After setting it up and pulling a string I have a good 1/2" bow (side to side)  in the beam.  I guess it's from sitting around from January to June.  This is my first build so I am wondering if there is a better material for the strongback or a remedy to pull the bow out of this one.  Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

4 replies:

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RE: Strongback

I guess I'm trying to think this out and thought of a possible solution but I would still like comments.  Is it possible to line up the forms with the actual center of the beam and then pull the bow out with the first couple of strips on the opposite side of the bow?  That would mean pulling another string along the top of the forms until everything lined up.

RE: Strongback

Schade talks about something like this in his first book and recommends just cutting the holes larger than the strong back (with space on the left and right side), and aligning them with respect to each other, not the strong back.  Hot glue works well to temporarily secure the forms while you get them perfectly aligned (and it's easy to fix any mistakes) and then you can screw them in for the actual build.

RE: Strongback

It is definitely possible to pull the forms straight with the strips.  You also need to do this to get the bow and stern centerline forms straight and hold them there.  They will be very flexible until you have few strips in place.  I generally run a string down the center, raised off the highest sections slightly and keep it there until I have 5-6 strips on each side of the boat.  At that point the whole setup will be very rigid.  You may want to check how much force it takes to straighten the strongback, but 1/2" in 12' shouldn;t be a big deal.

RE: Strongback

Thanks for the insight.  I did remember seeing that a straight strongback was not crucial as long as all the forms lined up.  I did end up cutting the holes a little larger and made the side to side adjustments.  Forms on, screwed in place, lets put on some strips. 

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