The keel is made from 2 pieces of 3/4″ Meranti plywood that are scarfed together to form a solid backbone for the boat.
The keel is attached with Mahogany blocks to provide a solid structural connection between the keel and the bow and stern. These blocks are temporarily fit with screws only, but the keel will eventually be expoxied and screwed in place once I am confident that all the parts fit perfectly.
The bow is attached with two Silicon Bronze screws which I have ordered, but have not arrived. In the meantime I made the mistake of temporairly using stainless steel screws which proved too brittle for the African Mahogany. After one of the screws snapped off in the mahogany, I drilled two more pilot holes and used drywall screws until the bronze screws arrive.
Fortunately, this will all be covered by the bottom planks.
Before the bottom planks can be installed, the keel must be planed to match the bevel angle of the mold.
Final beveling of the keel is accomplished by bending the batton over the form next to the keel and marking a line that coincides with where the bottom of the planks will touch the keel. This provides a reference for how to plane the continuously changing bevel angle.
In the following two photos you can see how the keel is beveled to match the mold and accept the bottom plank.
