The oak strips were very carefully selected for being knot free and straight grained, they came together from both ends perfectly and I stood back after gluing up with a sense of achievement. The only thing left to do before turning the hull over is to fit on the gunwhales – or strips of wood that run along the edge of the boat. They will be like a handrail when the boat is turned over to its normal way up. John and I drove over to Wests Timber, Petworth, Sussex and bought a beautifully straight grained board of ash 10 foot long 12 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches thick. I sliced and planed it up to produce pieces ready to fit to the edges. They may need steam bending, we will see. I much prefer the way this build is so experimental. Boat building is ground well trodden and so much is often said by so many people about what should be the correct way of doing things but ultimately the whole boat will depend on the way we chose and use materials. Working in the woods has given me an x-ray ability to look at timber and see right through it now – or at least I like to think so!
