THE BATTENS

You should now have your mould battens prepared and these may be scarfed into full length to match the length of our hull or you may join them on the job using plywood fairing strips as described later in this chapter.   It is wise to obtain battens of the correct width and thickness otherwise they will not bend to a fair shape on your hull.   For sailboats between twenty-five feet [7.5m] and sixty-five feet [20m] the best size battens are 1 ¾” x 5/8” [44mm x 15mm].   For power boats, with flat bottom sections, you may use larger battens in this area, say 4” x ¾” [100mm x 20mm] which will usually lay in place without giving you any problems.

   Once the frames, stem and backbone are in place, you may install a few battens to check the fairness of the structure to this point.   If you have followed the full size patterns and cut and assembled the frames with due care, you should find the framework very fair and accurate.   The main thing is to have a fair hull so you may shim and trim frames as necessary to make sure the battens lay in a fair curve.   From now on, your eye will be your guide.   You will soon develop a skill that will allow you to spot an unfair lump or hollow in your mould.  

INSTALLING THE BATTENS

You can start the battening process at any part of the hull mould,  but make sure that the battens are progressively installed on either side.   If you batten up say twelve inches [310mm] on one side of the hull, then make sure you next install the battens in the same area, on the opposite side of the mould.   This will prevent any pulling or deforming of the structure due to having battens in one area and not having battens to balance the opposite side.   At this time you should be particularly careful, to make sure, that the stem remains straight and true, right on the centre line.   After installing a few battens over the entire area of the hull, you will find the mould will take on a more rigid form and it will be easier to maintain the correct shape. 

   During the early stages of installing the battens, you should be giving consideration to building and installing the transom.   There are several ways to build a transom and one is to form it as we have shown in the photos and sketches.   Most of the latest plans include the developed shape for the transom, this with the known radius, will offer another way to easily form the correct shape as the designer intended.   We have noticed that some designers who specialize in plans for amateur builders have taken to designing boats with flat transoms.   A flat transom is an exceedingly ugly thing and not at all necessary.   It is so simple to have at least a small amount of camber or curvature in the transom of your boat.   Flat transoms always look concave or hollow, so we suggest you don’t do it.  

   As the battening of the mould former proceeds, keep a careful check to make sure there are no low or high points in the structure.   If you find several battens wanting to go past a frame without touching it or can only be made to touch the frame by pushing inwards and deforming the batten, then let the battens lay as they may, and pack out the frame to suit.    If you find one frame is particularly high and needs some trimming to make the battens lay fair, then dress a little off that frame.