screws in inwhales?

[JeffM]

Hi, all. I've seen the "inwhale clamp farm" pictures, and now I've dry-fitted mine I finally understand. But I'm trying to avoid spending money on yet more clamps. Can I use stainless steel screws (mostly in the bow) to keep the things in contact with the ply? I figure to start clamping at the stern, put in a screw, leap-frog the clamps, put in another screw, etc., getting awy with only half-a-dozen clamps on each side.

[Scott Dufour]

If you run drywall screws from the outside to the inside, you can then simply remove them after the glue has set up. I do that for most of my "clamp" jobs.

[PJPiercey]

I made my clamps by cutting up some old 2x4's.

These clamps I made long for the seat cleats but I made some short ones for the rails. The only cost was the bolts, nuts, and washers. Maybe 50 cents per clamp.

Paul Piercey

[JeffM]

Paul, the clamps are nice, but I'm going to go with Scott's drywall screws: I'm afraid I'm both cheap AND lazy!

Jeff

[Charlie Jones]

be careful the epoxy doesn't set up TOO hard before you pull the screws. They can get grabbed and drywall screws are prone to snapping off. If you DO have the problem, a soldering gun held on the head of the screws loosens the epoxy so they'll back out.

[Joe Nelson CS#35]

Using screws doesn't come without a price...must fill every hole that a screw makes.

I have come to the conclusion that some permanent fasteners in a stitch and glue boat are a good thing. When I made my first S&G boat I prided myself in using NO FASTENERS. I have learned through experience that sometimes the avoidance of fasteners lengthens the construction time. Using cleats is another good way of avoiding the fillet and taping process. So clamps are a good investment...as are weights.