1. Cut the plan view hull shape in one piece of 3/16" foamcore. Cut small pieces for bow and stern deck material. Use PVA glue to build the foamcore sandwich. For the bow post use a 3/16” basswood square dowel. Cut a notch in the foamcore to receive the dowel. Attach the dowel with PVA glue.

2. The materials needed for the boat decks. The black paper is called Strathmore and has a semi rough finish. It also has a parallel line texture, these attributes will be used to create decking for the boat. A ¾” flat brush is used to dry-brush several colors onto the Strathmore. The colors, in order from dark to light, are Brown Velvet, Spice Brown, Toffee Brown, Bambi Brown and Sand.

3. Dry-brush perpendicular to the lines. Apply the dark colors first working toward the lightest for highlights. Leave the brush dirty after each color but blot it out on a paper towel. The Velvet Brown layer goes on fairly wet, load the brush, pull the paint out thin on the bristles and lay paint on the Strathmore. Get good coverage but let a little black remain deep in the grooves. Each layer of paint should be applied with less paint than the previous one. The Sand color is put on with very little paint, load the brush and blot it on a paper towel, blot again, maybe once more and then dry-brush. The sample at the bottom shows the progress of the decking as the layers of paint were added.

4. For the sides and rear bulkhead make a sandwhich of white and black strathmore (grain side out) with PVA. Dry-brush decking side as described before. Make the length of the sides longer than needed, they can be trimmed to length once applied to the foamcore hull. Don’t apply yet, set aside until step 6.

5. Paint the hull, built in step 1, so that all surfaces that might show are colored a dark brown shadow color. Then use PVA glue to put the various deck pieces into place. Let dry.

6. Use PVA to glue the stern bulkhead onto the deck assembly, use sewing pins to hold in place as it dries. Glue the sides onto the deck assembly again use pins to hold the curve shape as it dries. Let dry completely.

7. Once dry, remove the pins and fill the holes with spackling paste. The ribs are craft sticks that have been inked. The ribs add some detail and also serve a practical purpose. They organize where figures can be placed. Finish by painting the sides and stern to taste.