: I am planning to build a Gilly expedition and wondering if the is
: any down side to using an external strong back as opposed to the
: internal one Nick uses? Thanks for any input. I allready have a
: nice external beam. Joe
Hi Jo,
No issues using an external system.Mine is like a long church pew,I, too had a couple of 12 x 2 well seasoned pine boards that I made into a T. I then chucked some legs on [three pairs]and understood that it was my concrete floor that was really doing the work of maintaining dimensional stability[I glued them to the concrete so the whole lot didn't move] .I assembled my rip saw to one side at one end so I can rip and strip using the same bench.The station forms are held using sturdy well braced boards,Mine are old, very well seasoned Kauri floor boards.There is some fun in getting them all lined up,but with string lines and careful rocker height measurement, what looks good is good.To do the inside of the hull cloth /epoxy ,use "truth" sticks to keep the gunwales from doing their thing.When that hull is locked in epoxy and cloth the issue then becomes preventing the top of the hull [gun wale?]from falling in or out.Re fitting the previously knocked out forms and pinning /stapling the hull top [shear strip] to the forms ensures the hull is the shape you intended whilst you strip the deck.The hull with forms pined inside becomes your second strong back and you can use just two cradles.Use plenty of "masking" tape on the form edge area to allow for them to be removed from the boat.
Paul .NZ.