bending frames

[andre lafrance]

hey! on my '57 thompson sea coaster deluxe - 15 foot, i have managed to steam bend frames 15 to the transom with a temporary keel and no garboards using what was left of the original frames - not an easy task for an amateur! plus, that part of the boat has been stripped and sanded, etc. now, i'm about to tackle frames 1 through 14. my question is this: frames 1 - just behind the stem - to 9 pass under a (for lack of a better term) the top keel which has cutouts. these are unlike all the others which simply travel under the "top" keel. the bend is very acute for the first seven! are these nine frames steam bent? or do they simply meet at the center of the boat? if they are bent, are they in any way kerfed - aside from the limber holes? eventually, i'll have to remove the stem, but if you have dealt with this situation, any insight would be very helpful. thanks as always...

[LancerBoy]

Frames way up near the bow of the boat are half frames. They start at gunwale and end at the stem or keelson. They are not continuous from one side of the boat to the other.

Andreas

[andre lafrance]

whew! thank you.