Just a quick post. I spent a lot of time working on the bow but there is not a lot so see. I wanted more than just the flat bow stem. I wanted to add some shape to it so it didn’t just look like a piece of covered plywood.

My first step was fitting the bow in place. Clamped in place I decided how I wanted to install it and the details of how I was going to do this. Once everything was trimmed and fitted it was time to move to the bench.

Since I am not working with a big block of wood I need to add stock. I started with a lot of scraps of cedar on my bench. Left over pieces of stringer, cutoff of’s from paddles, etc. I tossed around a lot of ideas trying to decide how best to get the look I wanted. After a lot of different ideas I decided using plywood was the simplest way. It is heavier but it is also stronger and simple to glue in place since it has smooth faces it ready to glue in place.

Tracing the outline of the bow on the scrap plywood, I cut the pieces on the bandsaw.

Holding them in place I stretch an old piece of t-shirt over the bow, this shows me how it will look once skinned. It also shows me where the skin will touch and where it doesn’t and how it transitions from one section to another.

I have to do a lot of trimming and shaping with the rasp to get the proper look and keep from having a boat full of bumps and flaws. It’s a slow process but if you don’t it’s very obvious and very ugly to my eye.

Once I was happy with the look, I applied the glue, clamped everything in place and called it night. This afternoon I still have a little fitting to do but I expect to finish the fitting the bow and start lashing it all in place.