I didn't add rubrails or do the "round-over" Actually, I think the round-over appeared in the shop tips after I'd completed my boat. I like the look of the square sheer wiht my hard chines. I also dislike the look of the edge of plywood, so I tried to de-emphasize it as much as possible.

For my coaming ring, I used short blocks of mahogany mitered to fit in a ring around my cockpit rather than using rings of plywood.

Shawn

> I'm at the stage on my Chesapeake 17 LT where I have to either add rub
> rails, or sand the edges to produce the "round over". Visually,
> either approach is OK with me. Any advice or opinions on which is the
> better route to go? (Has anyone done it one way, and then wished they had
> gone the other route? Do rails add significant strength?, If you
> round-over, do you end up with a lot of damage over time, etc.).

> By the way, the many tips on planing the sheers in earlier posts were very
> helpful, and I ended up with almost no gap at the deck/side junction.

> Thanks for any insights--Ed