PocketShip.net

Hi all. The supplier of my PocketShip kit has included copper wire to tie the panels together. The manual says to use steel wire, because it is to be extracted from the hull with pliers before finishing, and I strongly suspect copper wire won't allow that or indeed be strong enough to pull some of the panels together.

What do other builders think?

Steve in the UK

I purchased some copper wire also and found that it worked on most jobs, but when I got to the bow, I had to use some 17 gauge steel wire to pull the pieces together. In some cases I used multiple pieces. You can also drill extra holes if needed to use additional pieces. I did this a lot on the bow. You can fill with epoxy and cover them with fiberglass at a later stage. The steel wire I used was left over from an old electric fence I picked up at a farm supply store many years ago. You will want to be sure to remove all of them copper or steel when the epoxy cures. Most will come out with some pull. You may need to use a heat gun to heat the pieces up to loosen them. Just be careful with the heat gun!! You don't want a bonfire!

Thank you very much Ron. Very helpful!

Steve