In an effort to make the build simpler and quicker, besides eliminating brackets and fasteners, I've looked again at a Wickes product called NoMorePly. It's extruded polystyrene (XPS) sheet laminated both sides so as to eliminate plywood... as the name suggests.
It is designed to be suitable backing for tiling, but it meets our purposes admirably: easily cut, lightweight, robust and waterproof from the get-go.
I've cut the 600mm by 1200mm sheet into four and devoted two parts to either side of the deck, a third to the keel and another to stabilisers that we'll see soonest: the split along its length being 280/280/320/320mm.
I secured the keel the last time I used this material with a plain abutment and was not entirely happy with the result. Here then I have carried it through the deck like a 'dagger board' so that filets of adhesive can be applied to all four corners where the parts intersect.
It's not the fastest adhesive you see here, but then neither is it the most expensive. If you're in more of a hurry, fast-setting epoxies can be used instead.
The sheet weighs 3.74kg or eight pounds and is black, which saves on spray-paint.
And £17 per sheet is not a bad price to pay for a hull, all things considered.
