: When I went to re-join the hull and deck i find that the hull is now about a half inch more narrow than the deck. The manufacturer suggests taping the hull and deck together and I've tried this but the tape doesn't hold the deck out for any length of time. Does anyone know how to spread the hull to the deck and keep it in position long enough for epoxy glue to cure?

Lee -

Congratulations! Sounds like you actually did pretty darn good, that's about a quarter inch per side, which will flare out your hull a negligible amount (just a tad more secondary stability, I guess). I've built 2 Pygmy's and never got the tape technique to work. I stitched the deck to the hull, starting at the seam where the hull plates and deck plates are joined (midships), ran a bead of thickened epoxy down the sheer seem, then removed the wires before finishing. Lot's less brain damage that way and no worries about the deck and hull slipping out of alignment while the epoxy cures.

Jim