: Check out Bill Price's "Project X" - a SOF Redfish Return - looks
: really cool!

Hi Scott,

I'll chime in here with my thoughts :-)

Using forms should be very feasible. Some older yaks were designed to be built that way. As for stringers, you need enough that the skin will not hit or rub the forms any where. You could do as I did and attach stringers to the outside of the forms, thus minimizing the problem. You'll probably want to downsize the forms to do so, so that the volume stays the same. You also need enough stringers to give the boat strength. I guessed (8 on the hull and 4 on the deck excluding keelson and shear pieces) and it came out ok ... so far :-)

I epoxied the whole frame for X. Some thought that would be too stiff or weak. While the boat does not flex like a traditional SOF, it has not been a structural problem at all. That said, I would try the lashing next time just to see the difference. In your case, I assume you would need to drill holes in the forms. That might take extra care and maintenance to assure the lashings didn't wear through. Using nails/screws would be similar to a Putz design. You would need to make sure the fasteners held well in the forms, even with a lot of abuse. That may be difficult with ply.

On the boat shape, I think X should give you some clues :-) Since the forms will be cut from a single piece of stock, I think ply is a good option there. That way you can avoid any cross-grain problems.

I've never sewn a skin on so I can't help you there. I have stapled and glued skins on, however, with good results. This really depends on your preference. Some people like the look of sewn skins. I prefer the method I used on X, i.e. heat tape glue. This was fast, efficient, and very durable. Staples were more trouble to put in, but do seem to last ok (you need rustless Monel staples).

Hope this project goes well. Please keep us posted with pics of the real thing (nice model BTW).

Bill