Did your last project call for an unglassed deck? I don't understand why some designs leave the deck unreinforced. You end up with a boat that is too delicate for any sort of vigorous use. If you were to simply glass over the chine, seperation would not be an issue and abrasion resistance would skyrocket.

> My last kayak project involved bending the plywood deck over rounded deck
> beams. The bending process turned out to be very difficult. During
> subsequent use, the deck to hull joint has come undone in two places. I
> realize that my bond could have been defective for some reason.

> I am considering avoiding the same problem on my next project (similar to
> a Mill Creek 13) by making a ridge down the center of the deck rather than
> torturing (bending) the plywood. What I envision is using a circular saw
> or router to cut a straight line from the center of the cockpit to the
> center of the bow on what will become the underside of the deck. The cut
> will be one third to one half the thickness of the plywood. Then I hope to
> fold the plywood over a deck beam with an approximately 30 degree angle in
> the middle (like the peak of a roof). The next step will be to apply a 2
> inch strip of glass tape down the seam. I think that doing it this way
> will save me the effort of torturing the plywood or stitching two pieces
> to make a ridged deck. I would appreciate any comments regarding 1.
> pitfalls I have not anticipated, 2. probable strength of the deck, etc.