It is fair to say that my initial start at adding the first planking has been an unmitigated disaster around the bow area.

I had worked out the banding requirements, tapered planks to the calculated dimensions. Added a lateral bend to help ensure the plank lays flat against the bulkheads before adding a curve for the bow bend. Despite all that work the planks did not sit flush with all the bow bulkheads. Illogically I felt the problem would sort itself out as more planks were fits, but as reason would dictate the problem simply got worse.

I have now ripped off all the bow planks fitted on the right-hand side, apart for the first one which does sit flush.

In the photo below when test fitting a plank that has been tapered and bent it does not not sit flat on all the bulkheads, as indicated by the red arrows, which proves my fairing was inadequate. Why on earth did I think, when pinned in place, the plank would suddenly sit flush?

Using a thin more flexible plank clearly my fairing of the hull was not up to the required standard.

When fitting a plank that follows the natural flow along the hull the fairing, in my defence, looks good.

To my shame this is how the left hand side looks. These planks will be ripped off so I can start again.

I am now ready to start again and second time around I am hoping things will go better.

Can I just make a suggestion and maybe others will offer theirs in response... but from when I was planking my Indy, this sort of problem could be sorted by making a more pronounced lateral bend (I did everything by following Chuck's video guides on lateral bending.) To my eye, the fairing looks like a lovely smooth run, so I'm sort of baffled as to why the planks won't lay flat with a suitable lateral bend.

To be fair, in some cases, I optimised my planks by ironing them flat onto the hull with my beloved travel iron, but I'm not sure how many people would approve of this.

On 8/17/2026 at 8:53 AM, Glenn-UK said:

I am now ready to start again and second time around I am hoping things will go better.

Glenn. Please read my latest post on my solution(s) to dealing with this, stem and stern. Sturm und Drang.

13 hours ago, modelshipdood said:

Glenn. Please read my latest post on my solution(s) to dealing with this, stem and stern. Sturm und Drang.

Thanks.

The AYC wood I am using doesn't like edge bending either. I'm using hot water soaking to form the curve to conform to the first two bulkheads. I agree this is difficult as the planking material is thick.

Can I make a suggestion? Sometimes forcing a plank to sit properly against one bulkhead can put enough pressure on the next one to pull it out of position. Maybe try gluing a plank over just two or three bulkheads at a time with perfect contact and then let that glue dry before doing the rest of the plank. When that section is fixed, the plank won't be able to pull itself out of position. It takes a little longer, but you’ll get good contact with every bulkhead and if the planks are lying flat on every bulkhead, the hull shape should be fine.

5 minutes ago, Dale-A said:

Can I make a suggestion? Sometimes forcing a plank to sit properly against one bulkhead can put enough pressure on the next one to pull it out of position. Maybe try gluing a plank over just two or three bulkheads at a time with perfect contact and then let that glue dry before doing the rest of the plank. When that section is fixed, the plank won't be able to pull itself out of position. It takes a little longer, but you’ll get good contact with every bulkhead and if the planks are lying flat on every bulkhead, the hull shape should be fine.

Thanks, this is what I am already doing with the second planking. I am also looking at more natural planking runs.

Thats what happens...

Just as an exercise, use a piece of wide packaging tape that is clear. Make sure you dont flex the tape edge-wise at all when you place it on top of the hull. Just let it lay on top of the planking naturally. You can use two or even three overlapping lengths of tape to just let it lay naturally. It only needs to lay on the plank you last put on the hull. You dont have to adhere the entire width. That causes too much wrinkling and crinkling of the tape. Then use the side/edge of a pencil to trace down the edge of the last plank you added on the hull.

Carefully pull off the tape. Then place it on a white piece of paper.....you will see the exact shape of the plank you need. If you know the width and the taper you need as I lined off the hull to find that, you can show the exact shape of the entire plank.

Instead of putting it on a paper you could literally place this on a wood sheet and cut this plank out with a sharp blade or jigsaw. It will fit like a glove and also sit flat against all your bulkhead edges. You wont have to fight with any planks ever again.

Excellent! This technique is known as "spiling" and makes edge-bending unnecessary (and wood doesn't like it anyway!)

On 8/19/2026 at 1:07 PM, Glenn-UK said:

Thanks, this is what I am already doing with the second planking. I am also looking at more natural planking runs.

I assume shorter lengths of planking (newbie question). Is there a magic length that then can be scaled to.