Hi Kevin,
On my first boat, I also found the process of the butt seams to be intimidating and a bit problematic.... probably true for any new "initiation" step, but you will be picking up speed with each new step, and will be flying through the construction process when you realize that there is almost nothing you can do that can't be (relatively) easily "undone". The tape that you are using on the butt joints is a very tight/fine weave, and is much more difficult to wet out than the rest of the glass you will be using. Take heart, it gets easier from here on!!!!
Consider NOT taping the outside joints on your panels, but putting a second layer of tape on the inside of the butt joints. Then, flip the panels and do a light saturation coat of epoxy on all of the panels, on the outer side. This prevents discoloration occurring at the joints from epoxy seeping through to the outside of the panel, and from occurring along the long seams when joining the panels together during construciton. I have found this to be a better solution than trying to sand off the various stray epoxy seeps/drips/runs that inevitably wind up on unsaturated wood. That type of sanding, to remove epoxy from bare wood, requires you to sand into the wood, and the depressions are visible when you put a nice shiny varnish on your finished gem. This means that you will have to lightly sand the hull and deck before glassing, but that is a much easier process than constantly chasing down stray epoxy at every step of the process.
Best of luck, and enjoy enjoy enjoy the process!
Cheers,
Bob W.