: There is a point on my newly stripped deck, very close to the bow that
: because of my inexperience with stripping is actually so thin that sanding
: has exposed a n irregular slit about 6 - 8" long. Of course the slit
: is right where two different colored strips meet in a pattern.

: I'm not sure if that is something I should just try & fill with dooky
: schmutz or if I have to perform some very intricate surgery by cutting out
: and inserting a new piece of strip.

The same thing happened to me too. I carefully cut out and replaced part of a strip with another from the same board. Then on the underside of the deck I let it stand proud by 1/8" or so, filled and faired it with epoxy, cabosil and microballoons, then applied 2 layers of extra glass in that area and 6" around it. The good thing is that stresses are very low in that area, unlike around the cockpit or the middle of the rear deck which get pushed, pulled and sat on repeatedly. The structure also gains strength from its shape near the ends. Broad flat areas are weak, but small curved areas are strong. I vowed to be more careful next time. Don't fret too much, nobody else will ever know it's there.