Installing side stringers is a patience-trying endeavor. There are a lot of them, and due to the nature of this boat, each one takes a fair bit of time to set up and clamp. Then you wait overnight and do it all over again. In total, there are 10 stringers to put in, and a lot of them “whole day” projects, not because it takes all day, but because of the number of clamps required and the delicate nature of the operation. Once they’re on there, I’m loathe to bang around on the hull lest I unseat something. So you end up knocking off early those days, which feels pretty inefficient.
With the exception of the very top stringer (which is the bottom one on an inverted hull) they go in pretty easily. I won’t bother you with long-winded descriptions, but here are some photos to give you a sense for what’s involved.
My father is fond of the adage “Patience is a virtue.” I’m ready to be done with stringers, but this is a critical step and can’t be rushed. These set the foundation for the hull skin, and it’s a lot easier to get it right now than to fix it later during the fairing process.
-Ben