I'm doing something similar. I soak the strakes, use clamps to hold on to them as I twist and turn them above the boat so I can see where the twists go, and clamp them down on the boat. It's still a challenge, though.
Good morning Vic. You done enough twists and turns to be dancing in the 1960’s.
. It is starting to take shape now- looking good! Your friend must be a super interesting man. The only image I have of a nuclear sub commander is from Hollywood fiction. Cheers Grant
He is a very interesting man. As the Admiral says, "Genius and personable at the same time. Not something you find very often."Good morning Vic. You done enough twists and turns to be dancing in the 1960’s.
I hope I have enough of these strakes. So far I’ve broken four of them at the big curve of the stern. 
The breaking is completely following the visible grain of the wood.
Did you soak them in water? Best is warm or hot water over a longer time, or maybe steam - Try to bend them gentle
Did you soak them in water? Best is warm or hot water over a longer time, or maybe steam - Try to bend them gentle
Yes, Uwe, I soaked them and bent them gradually. I tried three different ways. I've also tried steaming them in a steam box. It seems to work just as well bending them dry. Part of it is the direction of the grain. Unfortunately, the wood is tapered on the stern in a way that makes the wood break along the grain. If the strake were upside down, maybe it wouldn't break along the line of the grain; however, the bevel wouldn't fit the curve then. Thanks for watching. I guess I'll just have to continue starting at the stern and gluing very slowly as I go along. It takes me two days to glue one strake this way. I'm ready to get on with the interior of the boat.
Hi Vic, I think we all know that I lack much experience, but I found I could introduce a much deeper bend more safely by adding heat. I don't mean hot water or steam - I mean an electric plank bender (soldering iron type). When the heat hits the wet wood, steam is produced inside the plank and the bending happens more predictably. In fact, I have seen some pretty impressive curving JUST using heat (on dry wood strips), but I've always soaked the plank first.
I use this guy (bending the strips into the swoopy wood thing is where the magic happens). I don't even try to bend the plank on the ship - everything happens beforehand.
I guess you would have tried all this already so please ignore this post if it is unhelpful.
I use this guy (bending the strips into the swoopy wood thing is where the magic happens). I don't even try to bend the plank on the ship - everything happens beforehand.
I guess you would have tried all this already so please ignore this post if it is unhelpful.
Vic
One thing I have read recently (although not yet experienced) is to soak the plank in a mix of hot water and ammoniac
May be you want to give it a try
I’ll see what I can do on the next one.
Ok, Paul. Thanks for the reminder! I didn’t use heat like this on my last larger boat. It worked pretty well.
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The larger model - by virtue of its larger size - will have a more gradual bend. Because the same curvature has to be incorporated in a smaller distance on the 16-inch boat, the bend will be more severe. I agree with Paul re the use of an electric plank bender.
I came up with a new way to hold the false keel down while the glue is bonding it to the strakes. 
The false keel tends to ride up above the flat strakes, so I have to hold it down as I glue strakes to it.
What’s so funny, Kurt Konrath? Let me in on the joke. I love a good laugh.
Did yours ride up too?
It happened to both the 16 and 26 inch models. Maybe I did something wrong at the beginning.
Good morning Vic. I always enjoy your ingenuity when making a plan to hold things in place. Slowly slowly you are getting those twisted and turned little &@#$£ into place. Cheers Grant
I think I like what you call these strakes. I may refer to them as such in the future.