Rikki-tikki-tavi... Making a Panel

This panel is the smallest (of which there are a mirror pair), a reverse-curve bow flare. We fiigured it would be prudent to learn on the smallest one so any mistakes would also be small. There are four layers of strips, each diagonally opposed to the previous one, with thickened epoxy spread between. The strips are only stapled on the very ends, so when the panel is trimmed to the offsets later, there are no fasteners because the staples get trimmed off. You see that we are laying eveything over a release sheet of polyfilm. When the final layer is on...



		We built the sectional 17-foot mold and then the twenty panels that comprise this design in our carport. We found the proper 1/8" thick 3-ply AAA mahogany 4'x8' sheets of marine-grade plywood locally. We tested it according to John's instructions just to make sure it was made with marine glue. We ordered our first barrels of boatbuilder's epoxy from System Three, cut all the plywood into 6-inch strips, acquired the vacuum pump and made the bag, bought two heavy-duty staple guns and were off and running. We used a nice metal batten to transfer the Prime Meridian to each layer as we went along. This line is crucial in the later assembly of the hulls. One must not lose track of the Prime Meridian! The first photo shows the panel with only one layer down and no epoxy. This is the very first panel of Rikki-tikki-tavi's hulls!


		This panel is the smallest (of which there are a mirror pair), a reverse-curve bow flare. We fiigured it would be prudent to learn on the smallest one so any mistakes would also be small. There are four layers of strips, each diagonally opposed to the previous one, with thickened epoxy spread between. The strips are only stapled on the very ends, so when the panel is trimmed to the offsets later, there are no fasteners because the staples get trimmed off. You see that we are laying eveything over a release sheet of polyfilm. When the final layer is on...
				We cover it with the vacuum bag...