> Hi John,

> The CLC hatch braces stink. I had a lot of problems with them myself. They
> kept falling over, and the clamp would pop off. Not to mention the fact
> that you had to clamp so hard the joint was starved of epoxy. I finally
> used a piece of 2x6 cut to the radius of the hatch and then clamped the
> hatch to that radius. I then clamped the braces to the precurved hatch.

> Someone on this bbs suggested earlier to throw away the CLC braces and use
> some pieces of 1x dimension lumber for braces. I'd have to second that
> suggestion. I have not done that, but if I were to build another
> Chesapeake, that's what I'd do. The dimension lumber wouldn't have to be
> as deep, and it would offer 3-4 times as much clamping (and gluing) area.

> Shawn

Shawn,

Sorry I missed your post. In hind sight I think my problem was lack of preparation. I was trying to bond the braces to well cured epoxy without scuff sanding. After I did that, all worked out great. However, more glue area sounds like a good idea for the next boat. If I can talk the wife into it. :-)

Happy Boatbuilding,

John