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I've seen a couple of blogs where the keel didn't turn out straight and true after it was glued up. The manual doesn't offer too much advice on how to make sure this doesn't happen. Are there any top tips on how to ensure straightness, before I find out the hard way?

When you glue it up, it will be on its side. If you don’t prop up the underside of the keel at the stern, it will be crooked because the floor is straight and it’s taking on the shape of the floor. So, prop up the keel at the aft end enough to make it take the right shape, taking into account how much taper there is in thr design and the piece of wood you have cut to form the bottom of the keel.

Hi,

I had a string line running from the tip to the end of the assembly and used a few shims along the aft part of the keel to get the line exactly over the centre-line.
There is also a shim under the nose block (2nd photo). These shims need to be placed to support the keel at (what will be) the bottom and the top, so there won't be a twist in the keel.
Also note the spacer blocks inside the case at each clamp. The keel turned out straight ...




Cheers,

Peter

I like the idea of using the string. I shimmed up the stern, but compensated too much. I think using the shims along with the string should get good results. I just sighted it, which was not accurate enough, but was able to fix.

Thanks guys. Now I know exactly what to do.