: .... but.... what's the "tape trick"?

Determine the border of the area you want to overlay with an additional layer of glass. Mask the OUTSIDE edge of the border. Make the masked area 2 or 3 inches wide. Cut your cloth oversize and lay it down on the area, smooth it out and saturate it with epoxy. Watch for bubbles and lifting. Squeegee as usual. When you apply the epoxy to the cloth, PARTIALLY overlap it onto the tape. When the epoxy is still green, cut the cloth carefully along the edge of the tape. Pull the tape off along with the overlapping cloth. Smooth down any edges of the cloth that get inadvertently lifted up when you pull up the tape. Be carefull when you cut the cloth ... use a new blade in your utility knife and cut just deeply enough to cut through the top layer without cutting into the bottom layer. This technique will leave you with a well defined edge that needs minimal sanding and scraping to feather it in.

Use the same method when you glass the combing tower and the exterior seam tape. When you do anything on the deck ... anything ... remember this simple fact: If it's gonna go wrong, it's gonna go wrong on the deck ... right where everyone can see it and prolly right where you will see it with every stroke you take!

BTW ... you'll really like your OI in rough water. It's a hoot!

Ken