The Secret to Building Complex Boat Shapes - Station Moulds for the Poulsbo Boat - Episode 3

Howdy folks! Welcome back to Nomad Boat Building. My name is Mark Reuten, and this video is part of the Poulsbo Boat Project, where I’m documenting the complete build of a traditional Poulsbo Boat from start to finish. In this episode, we build the station molds—the forms that define the shape of the hull. These molds are critical to the entire build, as every plank we install will reference them. Instead of using plywood, I walk through my preferred method of building molds from solid 1x material. This approach is more economical, easier to work with in the shop, and allows the material to be reused after the molds are no longer needed. We go step-by-step through laying out the mold shape from the plans, transferring the geometry using simple tools, cutting the curves on the bandsaw, and assembling the molds with gussets and cross spalls. Along the way, I also cover notch layout for inwales and risers, fairing considerations, and a few lessons learned (including what not to do). The Poulsbo Boat is being built using strip planking with cedar strips, reinforced with fiberglass inside and out—a blend of traditional and modern boatbuilding techniques. If you're interested in woodworking, traditional craftsmanship, and practical boat shop problem solving, this series follows the entire build from start to finish. My Website https://www.nomadboatbuilding.com Support the channel on Patreon   / nomadboatbuilding   Follow along on Instagram @nomadboatbuilding Poulsbo Boat Build Series Watch the full series here:    • Poulsbo Boat Project   Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:28 What is a Poulsbo Boat 00:44 Strip planking vs traditional planking 01:00 What station molds are 01:26 Why use 1x material instead of plywood 02:19 Material layout for molds 03:27 Finding the miter joint 04:18 Cutting and assembling the mold halves 05:20 Transferring the mold shape 06:18 Marking baseline and reference details 07:15 Notch templates and consistent angles 08:16 Removing the mylar and preparing for layout 09:19 Fairing the mold with a batten 10:20 Assembling and reinforcing the mold 11:28 Cutting the molds on the bandsaw 13:43 Why 1x material is easier than plywood 14:37 Notches for keelson and structure 15:01 Mistake: cutting notches too early 16:41 Fixing fairing issues with blocking 17:06 Adjusting process due to bench size 18:37 Aligning and gusseting molds 21:04 Refining the mold shape 23:19 Solving layout table limitations 24:21 Final assembly on the strongback reference 25:11 Installing the cross spall 26:14 Finished molds and next steps #BoatBuilding #PoulsboBoat #WoodenBoat #StripPlanking #BoatBuildingTips #Woodworking #TraditionalCraft #NomadBoatBuilding