Stitch and glue

From Free net encyclopedia

The "stitch and glue" method was developed by the first TV DIY expert, Barry Bucknell, in about 1964. (In fact, Barry Bucknell invented the term DIY, making him, by definition, the first expert in it.)

The method was invented for the construction of the Mirror Dinghy. The Mirror is so named because the design was sponsored by The Daily Mirror newspaper, a fact reflected by the historically red sails. The Daily Mirror apparently wanted to bring cheap sailing to the masses. As such, unlike other construction techniques of the day, which required specialist skills and tools, Stitch and Glue was supposed to put boat-building within the reach of the average public.

The technique basically consists of literally stitching together plywood panels with some sort of wire. The cut panels are drilled with small holes along the joining edges, and short pieces of wire are threaded through the holes and twisted together until the panels are tight. Once together, the join between the two pieces is glued and commonly taped over (on the inside of the hull). When the glue is dry, the wire can be removed to leave a smooth outer join; the holes are then filled and sanded over. When a combination of fiberglass tape and epoxy glue, the resulting composite material makes an extremely strong joint. Optionally, the outside of the joint can be taped and glued as well, providing additional strength. True stitch and glue designs generally have few bulkheads, relying instead on the geometry of the panels to provide shape, and forming a monocoque or semi-monocoque structure.

Stitch and glue has become the dominant technique in amateur boatbuilding. While the use of relatively few plywood panels (which minimizes the joints and makes the construction easier and faster) limits the shapes possible, the simplicity and low cost of the stich and glue technique makes it the method of choice among most amateur boatbuilders. Simple software CAD packages are available for designing stich and glue boats, and there are many Internet bulletin boards, newsgroups, and mailing lists dedicated to the subject of stitch and glue boats and various popular stich and glue designs.

Stitch and glue is similar to a traditional form of boatbuilding from northern Europe, particularly Lapland, called sewn boats. It is not known if Barry Bucknell's development of the stitch and glue methods was influenced by the sewn boat technique.