The Book of the Sailboat: How to rig, sail and handle small boats

by A. Hyatt Verrill

The top of the case may be left open or a piece of board may be fitted over it with a hole for the rope or chain which is used to control the board to pass through. Be careful to adjust this chain, or rope, so the board cannot drop too far as it should not fall beyond the perpendicular.

The next step is to place light, diagonal braces across from side to side and from molds to side planks, tacking them lightly in position, and then remove the braces and clamps from the keel. Lift the boat from the benches, turn it upside down and plane off the lower edges of the planks until square as you did the upper edges.

Then fit a piece of oak along the lower edge of each side plank, cutting little notches in it to fit around the end of each rib. Rivet these to the sides, plane off the bevel to bring these pieces true with the edges of the planks and you are ready to put on the bottom planking.

The bottom may be run either lengthwise, or crosswise, on a flat-bottomed boat, but if run lengthwise cross timbers are required, which are a nuisance, and the crosswise planking does just as well and is far easier to make.

Place a piece of the bottom planking across the bow, covering the stem and extending a short distance on either side of the side planks. Smear the lower end of the stem, the keel and the side planks with thick white lead and nail the piece securely into the stem, the keel and the two oak pieces along the sides and to the side planks also. In driving these nails be sure and set them at an angle to correspond with the slope of the sides, or else they will split out and cause your boat to leak.

Fit another cross plank behind this with plenty of white lead between the edges and secure it in place. Continue in this way until the slot for the centerboard is reached. Here the planks must be run from each side of the slots to the side planks, and where the deadwood, or skeg, is fastened the same method must be followed.

When the bottom is fully planked saw off the projecting ends close to the sides, being careful to keep the same angle and not to scar or cut the side planks, and then, with the block plane, smooth the ends evenly with the side planks.

When this is done fit a false keel, or rubbing-strake, along the center of the bottom with a slot cut in it to correspond with the centerboard slot and taper it at the rear to fit the lower surface of the deadwood. Smear the under surface of this, as well as the bottom where it rests, with thick copper paint and nail firmly in place. And don’t forget to paint all the inside portions and joints of the centerboard case, as well as the board itself and the inside edges and slot in the keel, with copper paint before putting them together.

You can now turn your boat over, knock out the molds and finish with the decking or other interior arrangements, but before taking out the molds you should put the deck beams in place, if a deck is to be used, or should place thwarts across from side to side, if the boat is to be left open.

For a small, simple boat the deck beams may be run straight across from side to side and the cockpit may be made rectangular, with the forward end pointed or V-shaped. The deck may be made by nailing narrow strips along the timbers and following the curve of the sides, or wider planks may be nailed lengthwise and trimmed off to make a smooth, even edge with the sides, after which a covering board should be nailed over the joint and a strip of half-round molding should then be run along to protect the edges from being injured, as well as to give a good finish to the boat.