Sheer Joy? Sheer Clamps, Anyway

Finally, a day arrived in which we:

1.  Made no thickened epoxy; and
2.  Laid no fiberglass tape

Hurray!  But never fear - those days will return.  What we did instead was attach the first piece of the keel at the bow and glued the major piece of the starboard sheer clamp.  A sheer clamp is a piece of wood that runs along the hull where the decking will meet the hull.  It helps keep the hull's shape and reinforces the boat against bumps and the constant pull of the sail.

After we laid epoxy on the wood and the hull, Dad started the clamping.

LOTS of clamps needed, since we had to bend the wood along the curve of the hull

One piece down, and no more clamps so we must wait until the epoxy dries before starting on the port side.