I spent an hour laying out all the clamps, putting tape over the moulds so the boat won't stick to them, finding long screws for the block clamps at the bow and stern and then took several deep breaths and mixed up the first batch epoxy. It is surprising how long it takes to spread epoxy on two mating surfaces about 25 mm wide and 4.5 metres long! The first plank was clamped in position at a few places before the second plank was coated with epoxy and put in position. With the two planks positioned I put the rest of the clamps in place working from the middle towards the bow and stern. The block clamps were screwed to the keelson and stem using screws that would not break through to the inside of the boat. The plank was nailed (temporarily) to the transom with a couple of nails each side; the padding under the nail can bee seen in the photo. Here is the end result:
I thought I had made too many of those wooden clamps but they were all used. I made another 20 or so because the rest of the planks have to be glued edge to edge and get longer as the gunwale is approached. Can't have too many clamps! I think the rest of the planks will be easier than these two because they can be done one at a time.
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