: I'm now into my third attempt of building the stern of my (future) firestar
: but it seems as I will again fail.
: I have tried with steam, have used smaller strips, tried with heating but I
: am not at all satisfied with the results. There are always plenty of caps
: to be filled, the strips (at least the ones which do not break) do not
: twist as desired and I start to loose confidence that I really can build
: it the proposed way. Maybe I reached my skills level?

: So I am thinking about alternative methods to build this BEAUTIFUL boat.

: 1. Shall I inreace the dimensions of the two small side pannels of the stern
: to make the radius of the strips smaller? This way the stripping process
: for the stern may become easier. Will this change the behaviour of the
: boat?

: 2. Shall I build a foam core, then use a veneer layer before applying some
: layers of glass to still gain the wooden touch and have the required
: strengths? Is this idea completely off the shelves?

: 3. ???

: Looking forward to hear your thoughts, comments and ideas.

: Regards Roger (a hobby builder living in Switzerland)

: PS: It is not my first boat, have already build two CLC S&G boats and a strip
: built bob special and all worked out very nicely.

You have learned a lot about building it with strips, perhaps with a bit more information you can use that skill to make it work.

What kind of wood are you using for strips? It must be straight grained with no grain run out to bend well. Have you used an industrial heat gun? It should produce a temperature of 1000˚.

Here is how I bend strips for the tail section of my biadarka designs. I use 3/16" X 3/4" strips, of western red cedar and/or northern white cedar.

Western red cedar will not bend as readily as air dried white cedar but it will bend if you are a bit more patient. Go slow and don't char the surface with the heat gun. I use a Milwaukee heat gun set to the high temperature setting of 1000˚.

I use a small vise, that will clamp to a bench. I open the vise jaws so I can slip one end of a strip in. I hold the other end of the strip with a spring clamp which allows me to apply a lot of torque. I use a heat gun to heat the strip as I twist and bend it to the shape I've visualized is needed to conform to the tail piece forms. Remember, bending takes place on the inside of the curve, and must apply heat there. Move the heat gun back and forth over the area to bend or twist. If you apply heat to only one point, the bend will happen right there and may be too sharp. Smooth bends require heat applied over a larger area. Test the fit of the strip on the forms and reshape it until it fits perfectly with minimal clamping.

Like any new tool and skill to be learned, it will take a little time and patience to produce the desired results. But, once you learn to use the heat gun to bend strips you will want to use it anywhere on your boat where you twist or bend a strip.

The tail piece is complex because of the compound curves involved, but most of all because the stem form at the tip of the tail is a straight line and the line at the the other end on station #12 is a curve. The curved line is longer, so you will find that after the first two strips the next strip edges will no longer contact along their full length. You must either shape the edges to contact or leave a gap that will be filled with a wedge cheater strip.

I think the key to success is to be patient with the heat gun bending. You can bend and twist the strips back and forth as needed. The twists and bends are a bit complicated but you can make the strips fit the forms perfectly without clamping pressure.

Sure, you can do it with the other methods mentioned, but I don't believe they are easier or less complex, just different. And, you will have to invest the time and energy to learn the tricks to that method.

The bottom line is for you to make it work for yourself whatever method you choose.

Good luck!

Rob