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The horizontal boards are attached to 3/4" x 2" vertical blocking, screwed into wood which is embedded in the top shell skin, at the inner most place on each rib. Spacing is 36" if I remember correctly. Only the very aft vertical is not attached to the hull, and "floats", serving only to hold the boards together at the back. This is way back under the stern deck, at the very back of the hull on the inside. It is where the fuel tanks go.

As you can imagine, the Rib design was perfect for installing these interior finishing boards, with the regularly protruding attachment points.. But the smoothside would be different inside, and with no wood blocking molded into the sides. So you would have to glue on some blocking (with 5200), which would be quite thick at the bottom and thinner at the top, As you can see in the photo, the face of the boards are flush with the turned up edge of the boat floor.

There are four boards, 1/2" separation (which is where the block screws go for accessability) in the stern half, and as you go forward, with the floor and deck rise, there are five boards at two support points.

In the earlier boats, the boards were all one length, some as long as 16', which is what i have in hull #132. But in the later models, after saddle tanks were introduced for extra range, they made them in two halves. This allowed them to delete the back half of the set for the saddle tanks, and still keep the front section. I would recommend you make them that way - much easier to handle and service if needed.

These are one of the most unique and beautiful finishing treatments Whaler ever put in one of their boats. But it must have been costly for them, which is probably why they were only done for two years, in the 715 Ribsides built. I understand the Ribside line was too costly to manufacture, which is why it only lasted two years. A lot of expensive workmanship and materials were put into them. And when you think these boats new were only $4500. Incredible!