: Making good progress on the deck of the boat. Going with a asymmetrical
: design, not sure if I am going to like it but..... I put the walnut down
: the sheer. I started down the center stripping the rest and working toward
: the walnut. Question is, is there any reason to put a shear strip along
: the other side? Or just keep on stripping right to the edge?

Strength is going to be fine. This area is going to have plenty of glass over it, so don;'t worry about it coming apart.

End grain can be attractive--just look at some of the parquet and butcherblock designs.

If you decide to abandon an edge strip (or upper shear strip) the exposed endgrain will be a bit darker than the wood, so you'll have a pinstripe effect, which might look great if you can keep it even.

One big advantage you will get is going ot be an increase in the speed with which you can lay down your strips. You should be able to do the other half in about an hour. Right now you are spending time fitting the ends of each strip to match the curve of the walnut.

The last piece you fit in is going to need to be custom cut with a long curved edge. First boat? You'll likely make two tries to get it right. Second boat? You'll be overconfident, blow it on the first try, and still take two tries to get a good fit. Third boat? Well, you get the idea. as you get closer to the edge each strip takes a bit longer to fit.

With no sheer strip in the way, however, when you do the second side of the deck, you can let the excess length of the strips just run over the edge and hang there. Since you are using staples, you can apply ALL the strips in one go. If you are usign bead and cove strips, they'll jsut snap in. If you are using plain-edge strips, and want to put a slight bevel onthe edge, then the bevel angle should be the same along the entire length of the strip (no "rolling" bevel) and it should be the same on each and every strip. If you wanted to, you could cut bevels on them all on a table saw.

Once the glue is dry it is a quick job to saw off the overhang with a sabersaw, or use a router. Leave it a bit oversized and sand it down to a perfect fit, A beltsander does the job in a hurry! If you hold the sander perfectly vertical you get the thinest endgrain edge, but if you hold it at an angle you can get a fairly broad endgrain effect. Stop and wet the wood with a mist of water to better see what the colors will look like once the resin soaks in.

Hope this helps

PGJ