: I'm starting to plan my winter build: an SOF adaptation of LF Herreshoff's
: 18ft sail/rowing "Carpenter" design (the popular Sea Pearl 21
: sailboat was adapted from this design). The original design has a flat
: bottom which is about half the width of the beam at midship and tapers to
: within a few feet of the bow and stern.

: I would like to use marine plywood for the bottom with steam bent white oak
: ribs and 1050 denier ballistic nylon for the topsides. The bottom will
: also need a slot opening for the centerboard.

: I need help on how to skin this baby. I'm assuming its best to use a single
: piece of skin from gunwale to gunwale. Do I want to adhere the skin to the
: bottom or let it "float" or "slide"? If yes to adhere,
: then with what? Epoxy? One of the many types of marine caulks? Something
: else?

: Any help or redirects would be appreciated.

Btw, with a plank external keel (non-ballasted) conventional SOF construction would probably work fine. Won't point quite as high that way, but it's much more simple to build.

Bill H.