The first step is to cut all the cable ties except the ones on the last station molds and the ones on the gunwale.
Then, we trim the stringers. This part didn't go as well as we had hoped. The video that came with our Dream Catcher supplies shows a method where you trim the stringers to just past the stem, then use a discarded piece of stringer to mark the good stringer. The problem with this is that the stringers are about 1/2". So at 1/2", it's a perfect angle, but once you bend it into the stem, the angle is off. This is (somewhat) easily fixed by using the blade of our microplane to make the fit better. I'm still trying to think of a better way to do this, maybe using some sort of template that accounts for the change in angle when the stringers get bent.
Another problem that was a minor complication for us was that the stem will move a bit from side to side. To counter this, I built a little jig to hold it in place. The jig is just 3/4" ply with a slot cut out just wide enough for the stem. We screwed it to the underside of the strongback.
After way more sanding, microplaning, etc, we got the stringers to lie reasonably flat against the stem. Next we cable tied the two opposite stringers together to pull them in tight to the stem.
We noticed that the top stringers weren't tight enough into the stem, so we used a clamp on them. Then we drilled holes, being careful to keep the drill parallel to the ground. Once the first hole was drilled, we applied glue to the peg and inserted it. It was loose enough that it didn't have to be hammered in.
We continued to drill and peg all the stringers in.
Once all the stringers are pegged, we lashed them to the stem.
The next step is to flip the canoe, insert the for and aft ribs, and start on the gunwales...
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