P13

This figure shows a suggested layout of the temporary battens at the stem and stern. It can be seen that not all sections will or can be the same width at any given point and as such a greater or lesser number of planks will be used to cover these sections.

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.

Figures 10 & 11, 11A & 11B:

When the temporary battens are fixed into place and you are satisfied that they are all lying naturally and gracefully along the hull and that there are no undue bends or bumps in the flow it is now time to take some measurements and go onto calculate the number and width of the planks required. Now it gets interesting as this is going to determine how your planked hull is going to look.

At this stage I might point out that we are probably going to double plank the hull as per most kits directions. However it is the intention to show you the correct way to plank a hull as if it was a single planked hull. The reasoning behind this is that if the initial 1st planking is done correctly then the 2nd planking will virtually fall into place without any real problems. If the 1st planking is wrong then the 2nd planking must be carried out from the start of this planking project to get it right. So it stands to reason if the 1st planking is right then the 2nd will usually be a breeze.

The battens should be laying the same on both sides of the hull. That is the spacing of the battens either side of the hull should be a mirror image of each other. This will ensure that both sides of the hull when completed are identical when viewed at the stem or stern.

Mark the position on the bulkheads where the battens intersect with a sharp pencil. Do this to all batten intersections on both sides of the batten and to both sides of the hull. When this is complete remove the battens completely.

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