Here the keel (treated 2″ x 6″ x 16′) is starting to be installed. If I had been thinking ahead, I would have left plenty of room to install the 1/4″ lag bolts for the keel when installing the bottom planking screws! Oh well, live and learn – we can’t see around the corner every time. The fasteners for the keel were squeezed in so it worked out.

Here the keel is being located temporarily to mark the fastener locations as seen from the bow – the blocks are used to bend the keel around the bottom of the skiff:

Here’s a view from the stern:

Final trimming of the keel and counterboring of the fastener holes:

Here’s a view of the fastener holes after they were counterbored so the lag bolt heads are below the surface of the keel:

There’s the keel on the left side of the skiff, trimmed, fastener holes counterbored and with the first coat of primer:

Here is the keel with the final coat of paint curing:

Keel installed: