Trouble found me.

How many dozens of kayak deck/hulls have I taped together without trouble.

I ran out of my 2" clear 3M packing tape I use for the task.

The local store had Ace packing tape. What could go wrong? It worked just fine holding the deck/hull together as I glassed the interior seams. BUT when I took it off it left a thick gooey adhesive.

This never happen with the 3M tape. I knew I had to clean it off with lacquer thinner and steel wool before I could sand or sanding would only spread it all over the boat and cause more trouble.

This is how each of us have different experiences with materials which shape how we work. IF this was the first time I used clear packing tape, I would never use it again. But since I know the problem was not the tape but the brand, I won't use any other tape than 3M from now on.

We don't realize how different materials are with names that we think are the same. Every brand of epoxy is different. Every tool, every material is different. If we have a good experience with one tool or material we tell everyone this is the way. But there is so much variation from place to place and year to year than we know. This is why we all do things differently (how we do it) but the same (build a boat).

A lot of people are seduced by tools and materials which are cheap. Long ago I learned cheap or free is the most costly in wasted time, in bad experiences, in creating more waste and damage to everything it touches.

Every experienced builder will buy the best tools and materials they can because they know it makes everything easier and fun.

The smallest details make the difference between heaven and hell.