I think the original question might be "why not SPILE the planks", that is, taper and shape them as with real boat construction... this doesn't eliminate stealers, real boats have them all the time... but it sure avoids the ugly bit in the middle of hull, shown here! No, I'm not proud, and the pride index would certainly increase if I had spiled the planks... even on a model of a metal plated tug hull... it's just finer craftsmanship! But I took the low road anyway...