Final Wee Lassie Post

So it been a while since I posted about the Wee Lassie. I finished it in early spring and actually used it a couple of times. It paddles incredibly well. Of all my boats, its my immediate favorite. Its easy to transport and paddles strait and is super comfortable. Unfortunately for all my boats, I bike more than kayak. My real love in small boats in building them. Don't get me wrong, I love paddling them too, but with my friend Marv constantly asking me to mt bike and my motivation being usually lacking, the bike gets used more. The real reason I'm finishing the Wee Lassie blog is that I'm building two more boats this winter (more on that later). I need to finish one boat blog before I start another.
So the quick finish...
I streched the skin over the frame and using thumb tacks, held it tight. For the first time in boat building, I stitched the stems (usually the fabric just covers the easy angles of the stems and does not cause any wrinkles). While a little scary, it worked just fine and does not leak. The technique to secure the skin to the gunwales was similar to attaching a coaming to a kayak. Basically drill small holes along the length of the boat. Using artificial sinew, start from the outside of the boat, punch through the skin and loop around the loose edge of the fabric and back through the same hole. Move to the next hole and repeat the entire circumference of the gunwales. Yes... its time consuming and boring, but the results are worth it. I use five coats Zar Exterior Oil Based Poly for all my boats and there is no exception on the Wee Lassie. I finished the boat up with a full length rub strip. So there you go... That's how I finished the Wee Lassie.