I focus on a minimalist approach to building, employing an extension of the ’stitch and glue’ method, which involves assembling pre-fabricated flat Duflex panels in female frames with chine bilges.

The process requires the joining of successive sheets which have been CNC routed into a series of numbered standard panels. The routed cuts are paused at appropriate points leaving tabs to maintain the integrity of panels. A design scarf along the long edges of the sheets facilitates joining into monolith sections. It is from these monolithic sections that the tabs are cut and the individual full-size panels gain identity. The Duflex sheets consist of a core of end-grain balsa sandwiched between outer layers of reinforcing glass. Being pre-fabricated in a factory assembly line, consistent quality is maintained, which is difficult to achieve otherwise.

This approach allows one builder to achieve a self-built ocean-going performance boat (ie. light and strong) at minimal cost with less than two years full-time effort.

My building system offers the following advantages to both amateur and professional builders:

1. Hulls are built using CNC routed plywood female frames and therefore don’t require labour and material intensive strongback and braces. The relationship between frames is initially formed by leveling the frame bases and using the keel panel to brace in the other two axis.
   
2. Female frames take advantage of gravity - the hull panels are captured within the frames, with minimal force required to create perfect joins between the panels (no teams of assistants required, nor large numbers of clamps and ratchet straps etc).
   
3. The joins between the panels are ’stitched’ together with tabs of 3mm ply and MDF, the latter being flexible enough to lay across the chine.
   
4. Female frames allow the internal joining of all the longitudinal panels with a single continuous length of glass tape, negating the numerous overlapped joins required with male frames.
   
5. The bulkheads are installed whilst the hull is upright, and taped both fore and aft. It is much easier working inside the hull in this position, rather than crawling underneath and applying glass tape and resin above your head inside in an upturned hull.
   
6. Female frames only require leveling with a simple laser level, thus reducing opportunities for error.
7. All major panels are pre-routed in the kit, negating lofting.
8. The bridgedeck is built in two sections as just another hull panel (the female frames extend to provide alignment). This allows hulls to be joined with only the hull cradles levelled at four points. This negates the fitting of a large, awkward bridgedeck panel accurately in a space between two hulls metres apart.
   
9. The bow sections are built as part of the hull, rather than as separate components to be joined later.
10. In the smaller and midsize boats, the keel panel is also the sole or hull floor, therefore reducing building complexity and allowing easier inspection.