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8. Temporary Planking Battens:
Figure 8:
Temporary planking battens are also referred to as planking bands. The idea of the temporary planking battens is to break the hull into small segments to allow for the correct sizing and shaping of the planks to effectively cover this particular section of the hull. Not all segments or bands will be the same in the shape or number of planks. This is due to the irregular shape of the bulkheads and as such different plank requirements will be needed in the various segments or bands. Bands need to be about 20mm wide, this is not a hard and fast rule but at a narrower width such as this it is a lot easier to calculate and control the planks. A temporary batten needs to be in the order of 3mm X 3mm or 5mm X 1.5mm. The number required will be determined by the size of your particular hull. Bands need to be about 20mm or so wide, this will give good control of the number and shape of planks required to successfully plank your hull. As planks come in various widths depending on your particular kit judge the width of the bands by the plank sizes. Planks at 5mm wide equal a 20mm band width (4 planks X 5=20mm, 4 planks per band). Planks at 3mm wide equal a band 18mm wide (6 planks X 3 = 18mm, 6 planks per band). While this is certainly not critical it is a handy size and easy to control.
Lay the first temporary battens along the bottom of the hull adjacent to the keel. Laying the hull on a soft pillow is a good idea to prevent damage to the top sides while carrying out this step. These battens are the only ones to lay differently to the above rule because this first plank is the odd one out and is called the “Garboard” plank. The shape and cutting of this odd shaped plank will be dealt with later as a separate heading.
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