Stitching

Once the frames were all in place, the next step was to attach each panel in succession using copper wire and temporary nails through the panels into the edge of the frames and transom. [I didn't realize the nails were supposed to be temporary until after I'd already counter-sunk them into the frames--whoops!] Sounds easy but it was pretty tedious getting the panels aligned correctly. I got 2 or 3 in place but they weren't fitting very well at the bow, 'til I realized the fore girder was actually bent significantly toward the right...I had to re-stitch several panels after using rubber straps attached to the garage wall to bend the spine back to being straight (again using my trusty kite string to check the alignment). After that, the rest went on much easier :) Near the bow, especially, it helped to use small lengths of dowel rod to help the panel edges meet evenly. Finally, all the panels are stitched on and it looks like a boat for the first time! There were a few spots with some significant gaps between the panels, but I figured the next few steps would take care of that, so I was pretty pleased overall...