The Whiskey Stick The last piece of planking on a wooden hull is sometimes called the Whiskey Stick because it is tradition to celebrate "closing in" the hull with a toast of whiskey. (I don't drink, but I indulged in a tiny sip of Hot Damn Cinnamon Schnapps!) On a bead-and-cove strip planked boat like Unicorn or practically every strip built kayak or canoe, the whiskey stick is almost always a very thin piece that must be fitted into the final slot where the last strips come together. Here are some pics leading up to the installation of the Whiskey Stick on Unicorn. This is the last slot on the port side. It was filled with one long multi-tapered strip that took some creative clamping to hold it in place. The starboard side was similar but took 2 strips to completely fill. Left picture in the Port side, right is the Starboard side. That block of wood in the right picture is very strategically placed to push on the thin strip with just the right pressure to hold it in pla...
