: Hi Rob;

: I must respectfully disagree as to your suggestion of taking the time
: necessary to fit the strips properly to achieve a fair surface, but then
: whacking in 2 holes with a staple gun -several hundred times- and
: qualifying it by saying the darkly colored staple holes are not TOO
: visible when viewed from a distance . . .

: It might take 15 mins to plane and fit a strip so it fits properly, and
: another minute or two to affix it without the darned staple. Agreed, the
: time spent properly fitting the strip is necessary, but IMHO, so is the
: extra minute spent keeping the surface looking like a woodworking project
: as opposed to a woodpecker project - I say that with a HUGE grin, it was
: just irresistable! The staplegun picks up 2 points for speed, but
: sacrifices many more in appearance. I don't believe speed of construction
: is an issue, because the extra time spent clamping, taping, or whatever
: (instead of stapling) is trivial compared to fitting the strip. A basic
: hull or deck could be stripped by most anyone either way in a short week
: of evenings (sans elaborate designs, cutouts, etc.) after a short learning
: curve.

: The wasted time spent precoating the hull, or mixing multiple 6oz batches of
: epoxy at a time, instead of glassing in one step with an ample mix, would
: *more* than allow for the significant visual improvement provided by
: eliminating staples, nails, or screws during construction.

: Hey, I thought you were on the stapless bandwagon for a while . . .

: Best Regards, Spidey

We may have to form an invasion party and raid his shop and confiscate that gun. Uh....Staple gun. ( honest guys, I'm tryin' ta quit ) Then order a dozen boats....to be done in a month. By the time he's done, he won't remember what a staple is. (Probably the limited food supply we give him to keep him going and not leave his shop.) Yeh, that's it. LOL

Rehd