Stringers bow

This is a view of the main hull bow with stringers attached All stringers were 1 X 2 KD fir S4S lumber. Stringers had to be scarfed to achieve the required length. I tried to put the scarfs on frames to add a bit of strength and backing to the scarf and to eliminate any hard spot between frames. Sometimes, If you get a hard spot in a stringer, it will not bend exactly the way you want it to and you will have an uneven surface to mount your plywood skin to. This will produce an unevenness on the outside of the boat and will be noticeable when the finish is applied. 

All notches in the frames were cut with a circular saw. Makita makes the greatest tool for this operation. It is called a “Panel saw” It has a 4 inch blade and the saw is very small and light. It will only cut 1.5 inches deep, but that is all I needed. It sure was a lot easier then trying to heft a big skill saw up to the top of the main hull. 

To cut notches this way, you just set the depth of cut on the saw, and then take a few cuts between the notch lines. The edges of your notches will be perpendicular to the edge of the frame. Perfect for a boat with chines. Most of the notch will be removed with just a few cuts. If there is a little left, you can remove it with a chisel or pliers. 

You can see a couple of backing blocks installed between stringers that form the chine. At this part of the boat, the plywood gets a little testy about fitting correctly and will need lots of area to fasten to. This area is also exposed to hitting objects in the water. With additional material in this location, you will not suffer a break in the boat skin if you contact a log or other debris while sailing.