"There are many diseases, That strike men's kneeses, Scorflufus! is one by name..."

You've got to have knees
You've got to have knees
They're the things that take stock when you sneeze.

You've got to have knees
You've got to have knees
They only come in twos but never threes.

You've got to have knees
You've got to have knees
In winter fill them up with anti-freeze.

You've got to have knees
You've got to have Knees
Famous for having them are Bees.

You've got to have knees
You've got to have knees
If you want to see mine, say please.

You've got to have knees
You've got to have knees
They help you run away from falling trees
Knees. Wonderful knees 

One of the last jobs needed to complete the boat is the fitting of the "knees". Not our knees, which are generally shot after a lifetime of servitude to Her Majesty, but the wooden braces that strengthen the structure, connecting the hull to the thwarts (seats, lubbers).

These....

Not those!

      

The tricky bit about the knees is shaping them so that they fit perfectly to the hull, which slopes laterally, but also curves along the length of the boat. In addition, the overlap of the planking creates a small step or notch. 

Thanks to the measured pace of this project (measured the way geological formations are measured), I have had years to ponder this problem. 

I started with the chalk and sand method, which I had read about when looking at the construction of guitars: having cut the shape approximately, a layer of chalk is applied to the hull. The surface of the knee that needs to match is then pressed against the chalk, which leaves some small marks, showing the high spots where contact has been made. The marks are carefully sanded off (those being the spots where the wood is proud). This is repeated many times until, Lo! there is chalk all over the surface to be matched, as there are no longer any high spots. It's a brilliant solution, but takes ages and I rather lost enthusiasm...

My next solution was to try to shame Joe into taking responsibility for this detail. One of Joe's strengths is that he is impervious to shame, so that didn't work.

With a slight sense of panic at the thought of yet another year passing without completion, I resolved to tackle the knees again this weekend. The first step was a bit of displacement activity, which involved some fine sanding to ensure the knees were uniform, even though this was in the realm of the details on cathedrals that only God would notice. 

I think you missed a bit...

The technique I eventually hit upon was very simple: I just laid a bit of sandpaper along the hull where the knee had to fit and gently rubbed the knee back and forth, keeping it perpendicular to the stem-to-stern line. It was slow and quite hard work getting all four knees done, but after about an hour, they all fitted very nicely.

Before fixing them in place, I painted them with epoxy. As with every part of this boat, the finished articles are things of beauty. 

An elephant also has four knees.

For good measure, I sanded and revarnished the rudder, which is also very nice and carries on the mahogany theme that started with the breasthook and is also in the oars and the cox's seat back. (It's worth clicking on some of these pictures, by the way, as then you'll really see the grain and the finish.)