Hi Mick & Laura,
I thought I might throw my 2 cents worth in; Firstly, don't let a small set back discourage you on the build, this is just one of the challenging hurdles of boat building.
I suggest giving the charred section of ply a good coat of epoxy and then re-glue and screw all the sections back together again ensuring everything is straight and true then (If you feel Ok with it) have a go at pouring the lead yourself, whilst it seems scary it isn't really that hard.
All the blogs remark how smoothly it goes and provide great advice. The trick to success is to ensure the sides are well supported and clamped with cement blocks or large pavers, also the base needs to be well supported and level. As Brent and Dmitiry suggested 3 or 4 separate pours. I used a small pot on a simple gas camping stove, and all went quite smoothly.
Good luck and let us know how you got on.
Cheers Terry
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