Re: Deck Beam Install

Posted by Dave Houser on Dec 5, 2006

I always like to install everything that establishes the hull shape before glassing just to avoid residual stresses from forcing the glassed panels. And it would be good to bury the screws under the epoxy and glass. But then I omit the deck beam screws and just epoxy the beam to the shear clamp. Make shure the top arc of the beam lines up with the top corner of the side panels (chine) so the rolling bevel will make a continuous smooth transition and gluing surface to the junction of the side panels and deck. If your shear clamps are too low you will have to add a little filler on top of the shear clamp. That is easier than trimming the top of the side panels or shimming the top of the beam because of a low beam. I am not sure the little front deck beam does any good. I could not get the deck to clamp continuously to it and I made a curved clamping board matching the beam curve to force the issue and ended up busting the beam out before getting the deck to bear on it. That little deck beam is in a landfill some where and it seems to be working just fine there.

In Response to: Deck Beam Install by David Tudryn on Dec 5, 2006

Replies:

No Replies.