Curve along the bow is only very slight, so you should be Ok. Better if you can do it in ply.

I find large areas of balsa quite hard to sand even after attacking it with a saw!

Photos

Steamed the front section of the lower ply piece, gentle bending seems to have it cracked(not literally), this afternoons work fitting perhaps!

I was going to say you could probably do the skins adjacent the deck Ok but see that there is a bit of a curve to the bow itself which might make fitting the skin difficult as it's a compound curve.

If you can you could just use balsa at the bottom then, like on my Huntsman 28.

I did use balsa (block in my case) top and bottom on the Swordsman but afterwards thought I may have been able to do that by the deck in ply. Though looking at it there is flare and again a compound curve, so probably not.

I then used Eze-Kote and lightweight cloth over the whole of the hulls to strengthen the balsa and tie it to the ply and provide a good basis for painting.

Chris

Ok, now mounted stringers etc, and, a change of mind, I think i will cover the bow section with the ply supplied, with the fall back position of using balsa if it doesn't work!
I have some photos, i'll mount them tomorrow!

I do like the way the gunwhales are set into the bow deck piece.
Good work so far. Keep at it ! 😉

Done a little more searching, the kit predates 1995 as the address / phone number on the box uses Rowells address in Christchurch and the tel. no. does not have a 1 after the first 0
Some photos of progress to date!
The intention is for twin electric power, 540's or 380's using a 'v' tail mix on my 9XR Pro.
I do steering competitions here in Brittany / Pays de Loire and with 2 motors and the above mix I find control much simpler / easier.

Hi
I know that this not the Pilot boat, but I have been building the "E" Class Lifeboat, that has a laminated balsa bow it is a lot more easer than try to make it with ply

Not from block balsa, I have some sheeting 10mm thick, my idea is to laminate some blocks and shape(roughly) with a belt sander.

Balsa would be eadiest to work. Are you carving from block?

I think it's from the original design work / plans by Les Rowell.
With the balsa, the idea was to replicate the solid bow area as per the Kiel Kraft stuff from long ago(my age shows!), but strengthened with resin either polyester or epoxy!

Hi nice looking boat but I think again about balsa I am building a small boat out of balsa and it very easy to brake so it is fragile good luck

Hi, I would say it depends on which incarnation of the kit you have. I have an idea several companys have manufactured this kit, SLEC being the latest...