: Hull is glassed.

: 1. Do I glass the inside of the hull next? (Deck is complete
: (stripped not glassed yet), and sits on another set of horses
: with spreader sticks in place)

: 2. When do I put on fill coats of epoxy on the hull? (After the
: hull and deck are joined?)

: 3. When do you cut out the cockpit recess? (After deck is glassed
: or before?)

: Thanks for any advice!
: Paul

Paul,
On my boats, I have:
1. Stripped the hull
2. Seal coat hull
3. Glassed outside of hull
4. Light fill coat job, no need to fill too much
5. flipped boat
6. Stripped the deck
7. Cut cockpit recess and strip
8. Seal coat deck
9. Glassed deck
10. Light fill coat on deck
11. Smoothed inside of hull and deck
12. Glassed inside of hull and deck (nice to do these at the same time)
13. Cut cockpit recess
14. Built coaming
15. Glassed coaming
16. Hatches
17. Fit block into stem and stern
18. Join hull to deck
19. Seriously fill coat and smooth boat
20. bulkheads
21. Varnish, seat, outfitting, etc.
22. Paddle new boat into oyster bed

On my first boat, I was too concerned about the fill coat and getting everything smooth right away after glassing. Just fill with a coat or two, just enough so you can start sanding later without getting into the glass. Not such a big deal to get a chemical bond on a fill coat, just scrub off any blush and sand so the next coat keys into the previous. I have not had a problem with any delamination after doing this. I am more likely to to a bad job if I rush to do the fill coat, rather than taking my time and getting the boat scrubbed and ready for the next step. I find it hard to judge if the epoxy is hard enough for a fill coat but hasn't blushed. Also, the time it decides to be ready for a fill coat doesn't usually fit my schedule. I would rather wait until it is hard enough to scrub and sand.

After you join the deck and hull, you will probably need some fill coating over the tape. That is when I get more serious about really filling and smoothing everything. Makes for a heavier boat if you fill a bunch after glassing, then add more fill after taping. My goal is to use as little epoxy as I can.

ken