: I see what you mean, and I just went down and checked...Actually two of the
: ribs are loose and have sprung out of the mortises. Any thoughts on
: remedies?

Uff da. I have seen other builders use pegs to fasten the rib tenons in place, and after seeing this it makes sense. The design goal is to allow enough freedom of movement in the joint for the skeleton to flex, without allowing enough for things to come adrift. The temptation would be to squirt some glue in there and snug it up from inside the boat, clamp it in place, then shrink the skin to keep the whole assembly in tension. But I would worry about having a handful of tight glue joints and a boatful of loose ones. The tight ones might break if the loose ones flexed too much. I would also worry a little about all the other tenons staying put if the boat was bounced around in transit or rough conditions.

Geez, I really hate to say this, but I think unskinning the boat and positively securing those ribs would be the right thing to do, either with lashing or pegs. Don't know how much work it would be, undoubtedly substantial. Don't know whether you can resew the same skin, although I have seen others post that it can be done. Sounds like a certified PITA any way you go, but leaving it unfixed courts disaster. Hope I didn't ruin your day...