Hello all,

The hull is just about ready for varnish, so it will soon be time to flip it over and strip the deck (I am using an internal strongback). I have pretty much decided on the deck design, and would like to ask for some advice.

The design will be simple, the center of the boat will be light colored cedar, and the bow and stern will be dark cedar. The boundary between the two colored woods will be a curved diagonal. Tentatively, I intend to strip the center of the hull to at least one station past the boundary, then razor cut the boundary line after the deck center is complete and the glue is dry. Then I will strip the ends in the darker wood, butting the strips loosely to the center strips. Once the ends are complete and the glue is set, I will rout the edge of the end strips by using the sawn boundary on the center strips as a guide, thereby leaving a uniformly sized gap which will be filled with a strip of maple.

My question is whether I am looking for trouble keeping the boundary between the center and end strips fair. In most places the boundary will be between stations. I am concerned that the end strips being installed after the center is complete may not want to lie fair to the center deck even if the strip ends are clamped in alignment with the center ends. Would anyone like to share their thoughts or experience?