: The directions that came with the kit talk about glueing the deck on
: something like this: 1) tape the deck in place
: 2) run a bead of epoxy around the outside of the boat on both sides where the
: hull and the deck meet
: 3) Sand the deck and round the deck/hull edge
: 4) Glass the deck
: 5) Run a fillet of epoxy on the inside of the deck/hull seam.

: This raises a number of questions -
: 1) Taping the deck in place was an exercise in patience - and clamps and
: straps - to get it aligned perfectly. The joint between the beveled edges
: of the deck and hull is so thin that it seems that very little epoxy will
: actually find it's way in there. Will this really hold when I take off the
: tape and clamps?
: 2) The directions say to sand next - well, if I sand and round the edge of
: the deck/hull joint I'm pretty sure that's going to sand off all the epoxy
: I put on on the prior step and boing, off pops the deck...
: 3) Doesn't it make more sense to epoxy the outside of the deck/hull joint,
: let that dry. Then remove the clamps (but leave the tape I'm thinking)
: Then run the fillet on the inside of the deck/hull joint, let that dry.
: Remove the tape. And finally, sand the edges and glass the top of the
: deck? Or am I missing something???

: Anyway, I could greatly use the help. Thanks in advance again for your
: responses...

: Brion

Brion,
Just follow the directions, it works!! The epoxy bead is really a weld at the shear line. If you apply the bead with a syringe the epoxy will flow into the joint especially if you warm the epoxy before applying.

The sanding at the joint is minimal and is to round any sharp points where the deck glass overlaps the hull. You won't sand off the epoxy that has flowed into the joint even though te edges are beveled.

I have learned it is best to follow the designers instructions until you have enough experience to do things your own way. This is especially true with glassing. There are so many opposing views, it's gets confusing to first time builders

Larry C.