Milling the rabbet won't hurt the integrity of the rail.

A lot of the folks who come to this hobby from carpentry/cabinet making are disturbed by the plywood edges, it isn't just you. They're also usually the ones who are seriously bothered by the stitch holes.

On the other hand, when my wife (a "civilian") first saw the varnished glowing gold plywood edges, she wanted to know how I was able to do such fancy inlay work in such a short time.

So if when you see a plywood edge you see your stern woodshop class teacher scowling at you, by all means cover it. It's your boat, you're the builder, you get to do whatever you want. But if you can open yourself to experiencing the material in a new way, you might find some unexpected beauty in your creation.

Have fun,

Laszlo

The stich holes don’t bother me at all. After many layers of epoxy/paint and varnish I doubt that they will even be seen.  In fact, I know they won’t. At this time, I plan on painting the interior as well as the exterior of the boat. I like the comment in the manual about paint being more durable than varnish. Durable=good in my book. I will be leaving the rail and the seats and all the sailing hardware bright with a good coat of varnish. I guess with some very meticulous taping I could paint the edges of the ply, that would hide the plywood. Or as you say learn something new and just accept it. Wow learn something new…what a concept!    

OR! This just jumped into my poor old addled brain. Veneer! I could get some mahogany veneer, apply this to the raw edge before attaching the rail. It would be simple, apply it with un-thickened epoxy letting it overhang each edge. Then just trim it flush with my nifty little trim router. Hmmm these are the things that you think about a 4:30 in the morning when you work nights.    

I feel your pain.  I have spent an immense amount of time and effort hiding all the plywood edges on my Skerry.  I rabbeted the gunwales to cover the top of the sheer.  For some reason, the rail stock that came with my kit was not uniformly dimensioned.  By the time I resawed the bigger pieces, I had a good amount of veneer to cover the seat edges.  When that ran out, I made more by resawing the veneer off of some extra okoume that I had bought .Yes, it has taken a lot of extra time and energy, but I will be glad I did it for a long time (I hope). 

A lot of other pics showing edge hiding:

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/49414332@N04/albums/72157645186993049/page1

Hooper Williams - Brevard, NC

Even on my 8' Eastport Pram, I wanted to rabbet the outwales to cover the edge of the whiskey plank but I was too involved in "following the directions".  On my Passagmaker, I will definitely do some sort of treatment to address this along with spacered inwales.

I just read Laszlo's response and it reminded me that I have also seriously thought about drilling out every stitch to 1/4" and filling them with 1/4" dowel plugs on my Passagemaker.  I realize it would be an immense amount of extra work, but I think it would add an really cool "traditional" look...

Mike,

There is an ancient Latin phrase my late fater used frequently: "de gustibus non est disputandum" which translates to "concerning taste there can be no argument." One of the real joys of building one's own boat is one can make one's own choices about appearance.

There are no exposed plywood edges on a CLC stitch-and-glue boat. All visible edges are thoroughly encased in epoxy resin at a minimum, so the issues are entirely cosmetic and entirely subject to your sense of esthetics. My CLC Peeler Skiff is entirely painted with no brightwork, workboat style. That suits my sense of esthetics but certainly doesn't have to suit yours.

Veneering the plywood edges seems to be a lot of work. How about painting the visible edges in a complimentary or contrasting color?

Cheers,

Dick

I filled every stitch hole on my boats with cocktail sticks dipped in epoxy but left the plywood edges as they were. 

There's now't as queer as folk.  :)

   Filling the stitch holes makes very good sense. I thought the multiple coats of epoxy and varnish would do that, but I subseequently found a few that were still open -- including one below the water line! OK, it was just a dribbling leak when the boat was heeled over under sail, but still annoying. 

On the other hand, I left my dory bright, inside and out. It's great fun to see the light gleaming through the dozens (hundreds) of stitch holes in the right conditions. A dory with free Christmas-tree lighting!

   There are aspects of stitch and glue construction which may annoy someone with a traditional woodworking or boatbuilding background. Stitch holes, exposed bulkheads and plywoody end grain can sometimes rub the fur the wrong way but the technique yields a sound, attractive, relatively inexpensive boat by your own hand and in less time than other methods.

 We each have our own reason for investing the time and $$$$ in a project like this so what's important is personal. DICKDOWDELL and I started our Peelers about the same time. He went with a work boat like treatment and has been using it for two years. I went more toward a picnic yacht and if the dam holds and the river don't rise hope to get it wet next spring.

I'm finishing the spaced inwale bright and the plywood edge on the gunwale, well sanded and incased in epoxy, looks great against the mahogany rails. I found with my first build (Wood Duck12) that to save my sanity and to finish before the next ice age, I needed to embrace what the method gave me and finish it. I got a great boat, built to the 10 foot rule, that has carried my chunky self through some fairly "sporty" conditions.

I guess what I'm saying is enjoy the build but make sure you enjoy the boat.

   Mike,

I ran eyed the first layer to cover the edge, then I made spacered Outwales rather than inwhales. 3/4 inch x about 5 or 6 " spacers and gaps and then another full layer of 3/4"  this makes a nice place to grip for launching etc. sorry, no pics.

Bobby Mac

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and kind words.  I have been very much enjoying this build and I am sure I will continue to do so. I am just one of those poor fools who can’t seem to leave well enough alone. I’m sure I will leave the plywood edge, I just have to wait and see how it looks after sanding. I have rejected the idea of a rabbit, mainly due to shop space. Setting up a table or support to rout the rabbit and having the boat in my shop would be very tight indeed. I am still considering painting the edge. I just have to figure out how to mask off the curved rail and still get a nice clean paint line. I have little experience with paint other than house paint. Is there a more flexible tape then the old blue painters tape?   

   I hesitate to add this but I didn't like the idea of an exposed edge at the gunnels so I rabbeted the outwale. I've been sailing and rowing the dory for four years and have never regretted the extra step. When I see the edge on another boat it stands out to me so I know it would bother me if I hadn't taken care of it on mine.   I think painting would be an improvement over the ply edge. I'd look into automotive pinstripe tape if you go that route. Enjoy the build. I'm ready for another.