Starboard Deck Panel

Installation of the deck continued today with the starboard side deck panel. As with the larger deck panels, this one was coated with unthickened epoxy on its under side (although it conceivably have been done later, as there is access to it after installation, in contrast to the deck over the bow and stern compartments. The sheerclamp and carlins mating surfaces were then coated with mustard thickened epoxy. The deck panel was then positioned in place, and ring nails driven every 3 inches along the planed sheerclamp. Along the carlin, clamps were placed to hold the panel tight at that joint. As the nails reached the stern, I cut the panel with a sharp utility knife, using the overlapped panel as a position guide. Several passes of the knife were required to cut through the thickness of the deck. Once cut, the overlapped segment is removed and the deck will then lay flat, producing a tight butt joint. Underneath this deck butt joint, a reinforcing butt plate is epoxied in place with cabo-sil thickened mustard epoxy. I used an arrangement of pipe clamps and bar clamps to hold the plate tightly in place. The epoxy was then allowed to cure overnight. Total time 35.00.