Steve, Oh,so you followed the insructions! I'm worried about distorting the hatch cut outs when I attatch the deck to the hull. I was planning to fair the inside hull, and the inside of the deck, then measure and fit foot braces, then attatch hull and deck, then fair and glass the deck on the hull after it was installed. I would need to install the stem deck pieces before the main deck piece, and I was going to install those stern and bow bulkheads at the same time. I was hoping this would allow me to use the bulkheads as a lip to accept the main deck when it was attatched to the hull. This sequence would allow me to lay the tape for the seam between deck and hull, before the glass for the deck. I like the idea of putting the tape under the main sheet of fiberglass. Something about the bigger sheet hiding the taped parts underneath.

Fairing the outer deck after it is connected has certain desirable effects for me:

-I want the deck to be as flexible as possible to facilitate joining it to the hull. Glassing both sides will stiffen it up, the hull may not be so forgiving being glassed inside and out.

-I feel I'll be able to fair the deck as one piece with the rest of the boat.

-I'm worried that if I do distort the deck's shape when I connect it to the hull, if I have pre-cut hatches, they may not fit very well.

Thanks for telling me what you did. I'll give the process more thought.
Bill

: Hi Bill,

: I installed the stern bulkhead under the mini deck joint before installing
: the main deck. On the bow I added the mini deck while the the main deck
: was taped with packing tape to the hull. I built a small ledge of strips
: protruding out from under the front of the main deck to form a ledge for
: the rearward portion of the mini deck to rest. The front portion sat in a
: cut out in the bulb portion of the upper bow piece. I then glued the front
: deck in place and I sealed the bow section from the inside reaching in
: from the hatch cutouts. The main deck was then sealed to the hull on the
: inside. Sealing the rear bulkhead to the main deck was done through the
: rear hatch cutout.

: The deck was glassed both sides first. The stern tail piece was the last to
: be attached permently to the hull if I recall. I used a mixture of epoxy
: and wood flour applied to both sides before mating it to the hull and main
: deck. I had also made the piece so it was slightly wider than the hull and
: once the epoxy dried I finish sanded the edges flush to the hull before
: applying the the biased seam tape around the edges. Hope this helps
: Thanks!
: Steve