The installation begins

Strip installation has begun!  And now the boat is starting to show the shape of itself.  With every strip that goes on, I get know that I am getting closer and closer to launching it.  I know that the time and effort that I put into it will conclude with a great reward of paddling it for the first time.  As I write this post today we have received a significant about of snow.  Here is a view from out our patio door onto the deck.  So far, it looks like about 14 inches has fallen.  Two good things from this, one, I can go snow shoeing, two, when it all melts there will be water to paddle in.

For this post I decided that I would display a lot of pictures.  I feel that previous posts have been lacking pictures so without further ado, here they are.

The first strip.
I used my hand plane to remove the bead from one side.
 I installed the first one cove side up and held it in place with hot melt.

The second and third strips.  Between the strips I am using 3M Blue Painters Tape.
This helps to squeeze the glue out and it removed easily. Of course, as mentioned in previous posts, I
am using 3M wood glue for the strips. I apply this down the bead.

Just enough clamps.

A close up view of the clamp block holding the strips to the  forms.

A view from the opposite end.

Up to about 9 or 10 strips at this point.

The Keel Strip installation.  This one has taken some fitting to  install.

So this is my current progress.  So far things have been moving along pretty well.  Now comes the work of fitting the strips into each other unlike the first several courses where I could just run them long and then cut the ends off.

By the time my next post rolls around I hope to be complete with the hull and then moving on to stripping the deck.  The anticipation of the first paddle stroke in the water keeps building...