STAGE 5

30-Mar-2010. Tonight I started the planking on the port side. After placing a couple of planks at the top, I moved down to the bottom of the keel and the first 2 were quite straightforward. The 3rd one however, was a bit of a pig and I'll admit to cocking it up by not preparing it for the severe twist and turn it takes at the stern. It snapped!

I had to cut out the damaged section with a sharp scalpel and then make up a new piece. This time though, I prepared it properly with a Plank Bender. It then fitted into place with relative ease. This area is without doubt the most difficult part of the build (as far as I'm concerned anyway).

At the front end, I packed in an amount of filler and made sure that it was firmly packed in to offer support for when I start to sand the hull in a few days. Bear in mind that this is probably the weakest part of the model, so the filler provides a helping hand. This will take at least a full day to thoroughly harden off so no more work for now.

Above: Damaged Plank Cut Off