Petrel Build: 04 Installing the Sheer Strips [video]

Nick Schade writes:

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All the strips follow the first one in one way or another, therefore it is important to get the first strip along the sheer right. On most of my plans I include a mark that indicates the location of the sheer. This mark is typically placed at an angle to the side of the form. This angle should bisect the angle formed between the deck and hull.  By beveling the edge of the sheer strip to match this angle you will get a smooth, tight deck-hull joint that maintains constant thickness across the seam.

I start by clamping some scrap strips on the sheer marks. These scraps will hold the sheer strip in its proper location as I bend it in place and I can use them to determine the bevel at each form.

I look at the gap between the strip and the scrap and then hold my block plane to match that gap. Holding that angle constant I plane away the edge until the gap disappears, rolling the angle from one form location to the next.

I am not using staples on this boat so I am hot-melt gluing the strips to the forms. The hot-glue is chosen to be easy to break free when the time comes to release the boat from the forms.

The Petrel has a lot of curvature along the sheer. To make the sheer strip easier to bend I am tapering the ends down to be narrower. A smooth even taper is made by planing with short strokes at the beginning and then using longer and longer strokes.

I don't want to taper all the strips, so the second strip is allowed to run on its natural curvature.

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