: 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?

I'd try to lash them into place. but to do that I'd need to drill holes in the rib and in the gunwale. Yo could lash it just like you did the deck hoop, although drilling a hole in the thin side of the rib could be a bit tricky.

You might want to insert the rib into the mortise and just drill a single hole throguh the gunwale and rib at the same time. Then wrap your sinew or lashing cord through that hole and around the rib ans gunwale.

Before drilling into the gunwale I'd insert a piece of galvanized steel sheetmetal, such as used for heating ductwork, as a shield between the wood of the gunwale and the skin. The metal can be a bit larger than an index card, and should have all edges covered with duct tape so they can't snag or tear the skin. You can drill easily through the wood, (but not through the sheet metal)and by pressing on the metal sheet you have the ability to force the skin back 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the wood.

Getting your lashing cord through the holes can be a bit difficult, as you don;t have easy access to the holes from the skin side. To help here, get a 10 inch length of waxed sewing thread and fold it in half. Push the folded section through the hole, and when it comes out on the other side you can snag the loop that is formed. Place the end of your lashing thread or sinew in the loop, and just tug on the ends of the thread to pull the loop and the sinew through the hole.

Did you sew your deck with a continuous thread, or did you do it in sections? If you did it in sections you may be able to just undo the one section nearest the repair site. If your seam will come unraveled for more than a foot or 15 inches, then add a few stitches at such an interval as bar tacks. when you ope up the seam in one area these tacked sections will keep the rest of the seam from unraveling, which should help in re-sewing the skin.

hope this helps

PGJ