I also started my (stapleless) deck with an initial sheer strip on each side, roughly planed down to a rolling bevel where it met the hull; didn't spend a lot of energy on it since it wasn't going to be the final piece. I nailed it to the forms with light finishing nails, not driven fully home. It provided a good base for completing the rest of the stripping. Once I had enough deck stripping for stability, I removed the initial strip, carefully fitted a finished-version sheer strip planed to meet the hull as precisely as possible, and edge-glued it to the strip above. It made a good project to work while waiting for glue to dry elsewhere in the stripping, and was actually finished before the rest of the stripping was completely done.