Stem v2

As I mentioned in a previous post, my first attempt at building the stem did not turn out quite right. When I started cutting the notches for the stringers, I initially used the same approach that had worked on the frames: removing enough material so that one side of the stringer sat flush with the frame while the opposite side was buried deeper, allowing the hull's curvature to develop naturally.

The new stem!

The problem became obvious near the lower part of the stem. Because the stem narrows considerably towards the bottom, I found myself removing large amounts of material to achieve the correct geometry. The more I worked, the more concerned I became about weakening what is already one of the most critical structural components of the boat. To make matters worse, my notch-cutting technique was still evolving at that stage, and the additional twisting forces generated by the stringers made achieving clean, accurate notches even more difficult.

The old stem was a mess!

After discussing the issue with some of the experienced boat builders at the yard, I decided to follow their advice and start over with a new stem. Their suggestion was simple but clever: instead of relying on deep notches and later planing, shape the sides of the stem from the start so that they already follow the angle of the hull at the bow. This reduces the depth of the notches, preserves more material, and creates surfaces that are already well aligned for attaching and bonding the plywood planking.

The construction process began much like before. I glued together two roughly triangular boards and passed the assembly through the thickness planer until it reached the required 44 mm thickness. Drawing the final outline was easy, as I could simply trace the shape of the original stem.

The outline of the new stem

The next step was more challenging: cutting the sides to the required angle. Once again, I sought advice. This gave me the opportunity to watch how a skilled—and considerably braver—boat builder approaches the task. His method involved holding the stem at an angle and guiding it freehand through the bandsaw. I have to admit that I would never have attempted such a thing myself; I would have been far too worried about making an unrecoverable mistake. Yet he handled it with complete confidence, quickly removing most of the excess material and establishing the rough bevel needed for the final shape.

Freehand bandsawing!

Rough side cuts

From there, the work was mine. I used an electric hand plane to refine the angled faces and bring them to their final shape. Since it was my first time using the tool, I wisely practiced on the discarded stem before touching the new one. The practice paid off, and the final result came out surprisingly well.

Using the electric hand plane

Good results for an electric hand plane newbie

I also took the opportunity to improve how the stem was attached to the strongback. During the first attempt, I had struggled with movement whenever I worked on the notches. This time I focused on rigidity from the start, adding braces in every direction that seemed useful. The bow area offers fewer convenient attachment points than the rest of the hull, so some creativity was required, but eventually I managed to build a support structure sturdy enough to keep everything firmly in place.

New stem attached to strongback

Cutting the new stem notches was a completely different experience. Being the last notches of the project, they benefited from all the lessons learned on the previous stringers and frames. My technique with the multitool, chisel and rasp had improved enormously, and I had developed a much better eye for judging the required angles and shapes. The work progressed faster, the results were cleaner, and the final fit was noticeably better.

New notches - much better results

To twist the stringers into their final position, I used a simple wooden lever with a notch at the end. After breaking several of these improvised tools, I decided it was worth spending some time building a more durable version. I selected a sturdy piece of timber and cut the required notches to hold the stringers securely. To reinforce it, I glued matching MDF plates on both sides, using them to help keep the wood fibres together under load and prevent the handle from splitting. Finally, I attached a long wooden pole to provide additional leverage. The result has been a great success: I have used it many times since, and it has held up perfectly, whereas the previous versions would often fail after only a handful of uses.

The stringer twister

With the new stem complete and all the notches finally finished, the hull is now on the verge of entering a completely new phase. The next step will be fastening and gluing the stringers permanently in place. After months of measuring, cutting, adjusting and fitting, it will be satisfying to start turning all those individual pieces into a rigid hull structure. Exciting times ahead.