Thanks for the advice, am going to try and just use mechanical methods to squeeze the thing into shape rather than risk heat.
Andy

: I don't like the idea of using heat on stripper construction to fix a
: mis-alignment problem.
: You may also damage/shift the glue on your strip joints if you're not
: careful, if you've
: used carpenter's glue, which is reactivated by heat.

: You can get away with a small amount of force to align deck and hull but as
: you
: have found, near the stems you just won't have enough flex to move much.

: If you apply more force than you can with just your hands and some packing
: tape
: you will pay for it sooner or later, when the stress is released by sun/heat
: and you'll
: have white stress checking of the glass, show up.

: Remember how flexible the hull/deck was before you glassed the inside?

: Sand away the interior glass in the area in question. Clamp the spot to the
: desired dimensions and re-glass the interior.

: I've found it hard to find a perfect match with hatch covers and decks so
: I routinely sand off the central glass on the interior of the hatch cover,
: re-shape it and re-glass it, for a perfect deck match.

: All the best,
: Rob Macks
: Laughing Loon CC&K
: www.laughingloon.com