I considered raising the deck 1", similar to the first O.I, but changed my mind. I found it a pain to extend the forms, and I really think that larger cockpit size, not the raised height, that made my O.I's cockpit more comfortable than the "design" cockpit.
This plan also made it much easier to make the drop to the stern deck. I didn't need to heat-bend the strips. I hope it works.
I also took a chance with the position of the forms, by moving the first stern deck form forward a little. This also eased the "drop" between the foredeck and stern deck. The boat is the design length, yet somehow it looks fatter than my 17' O.I. Not quite sure why.
But: Huzzah! For once, I managed to cut enough strips for the entire boat at once. I even had leftovers.
And, of course, the Obligatory Whiskey Plank Photo. I did this at 7:00 A.M, and skipped the shot.
I did the arrow-shaped center line, and another stripe of basswood, otherwise, its all red cedar. Once I get into the technique of stripping, I seem to forget about fancy design plans.
I thought that the I-beam arrangement used for building the hull was too high off the floor, and it seemed even higher with the boat turned over, so I removed the beam, and went to the "summer" arrangement of saw horses and straps. Some of the forms fell out when I turned it over ( I removed too many staples), but they were easy enough to relocate.
