Keel, keelson, keel batton, all have specific boat building definitions. We do not need to shave too closely here. I am just talking about the backbone of the boat.





The keel batton for Skorpa is 1 inch by 3.5 inches and 20 feet long. It runs from the stem to the transom.



Skorpa's bottom has a shallow V at the stern that steepens sharply as you near the bow.



The keel batton must have a bevel that matches this angle shallow at the stern gradually at first than quickly getting steeper at the bow.


To creat this bevel I first cut notches every 2 feet along the keel that matched the bottom of the hull at that point.











Next I used a batton to draw a fair line that connected all the notches.


I then made saw cuts down to the line and knocked the wood out with a chisel.











The idea is to get rid of the bulk of the unecessary wood without going below the line.


Then a sharp plane eases the wood down to the line.

More or less.




Here the keel has been mounted back on the jig.


Way in the background you can see the first hull panel in place.


They are next up.