This is the moment the main hull finally becomes one: starboard still fixed in the frames, port half lowered in from above. With a simple batten-and-clamp alignment trick borrowed from Menno’s F-22 build, the halves came together remarkably well—good fit, no visible misalignment, and even room to decide on a stern-length extension later.
A milestone, Starboard meets Port
This section documents the joining of the two main hull halves. The starboard hull half is still sitting in the form frames, so the geometry and reference dimensions are fixed. The port half, hanging above it, is inevitably a bit more flexible. Even so, both halves fit together extremely well, with no noticeable misalignment.
On Menno’s blog (Dutch F-22 builder) I saw he used the two top battens to align both hull halves. Great idea—thanks Menno—because those battens make it easy to use clamps. That’s far more controlled than improvising with small wooden blocks and screws while everything is hovering in mid-air.
I built the second (port) main hull half slightly longer at the stern. In my previous workshop at home that wasn’t possible due to lack of space. After joining the two halves I decided to extend the starboard half as well, so both end up the same length. I still don’t know whether I’ll keep the extra foot, but doing the extension at this stage is easy—and I can always cut it back later if I change my mind.
This photo gallery (23 images), follows the full joining sequence: final alignment on the top battens, clamping and bonding the seam, and the first moment both halves meet to form a complete main hull—plus the decision process around matching the stern length.
