: I'm about to install the ribs in my "Brinck" baidarka. I'll be
: steam bending green oak. I recently tried using green twigs I found
: growing near my apartment with disasterous results. From my experiance so
: far I have found the temporary keelson to be a total pain in the butt! I
: understand it is there to give the ribs uniformaty and to establish the
: sheer but could I try something else? I'm thinking a mixture of
: Cunningham's, Boucher's and H.C. Petersens techniques. I'll cut the ribs
: two hand spans bigger than the gunwhales. Bend them them at a point two
: fingers inside the gunwhales initially, one finger later, and just keep a
: close eye on things to maintain symetry and balance. Does this sound crazy
: or am I writing off the keelson too soon?

Hi Stephen,

I once bought green oak from a mill because they didn't have any dried. I cut out all the ribs and stem for a cabin curser and let them set for a few weeks and they all warped badly and I had to toss them.

John