: Just got back from the lumber yard. I guess that makes it official. The plan
: is to make a Cunningham/Starr 18' sof with a fairly narrow beam and low
: volume. I found some super nice WRC heartwood in 18' lengths with a tight
: grain pattern. I needed a 16' 11" length in order to get 18' overall.
: I will be glassing the appummaqs to improve the strength of the 1x. The
: ribs will also be laminated (probably two 1/8" thicknesses) around
: the Starr-style forms. I guess I will finally have to finish the tandem.

: I am trying to resist every urge to make this another complicated project. I
: guess I haven't been too successful on that front
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from your description of your plans it sounds like (in your usual fashion) you are making extensive plans to "get it right". From other posts and friends descriptions the most challenging part of SOF building is getting the ribs right. That's where I had my problems (ribs are done but boat remains unfinished). I finally built my own version of Nystrom's rib bending jib (link attached). Considering your facility with making jigs and things I don't think it will take you too long to make the jig. It took me less than a day.

Using the jib worked absolutely great for me. I used slightely different dimensions than he did (eg 3 inch radius at the bend). But the ribs and uniformity came out really nice. The other big advantage of this approach is that you can measure the ribs in advance. The measurement approach is much more straightforward than the techniques described in the three SOF books (Morris, Cunningham, Starr).

I have been taking progress shots, but haven't posted any. If you are interested I can send you some of my pictures directly. There are one or two things I did differently than Brian and also if I were to build another jig there is at least one change I would make. I can elaborate further if you are interested.