Deck/sheer problem

Posted by A. King on Mar 30, 2006

Hi all. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I'm back at building my West River 164, and right away I have a problem that I could use some help with.

To avoid using nails, I strapped the deck when I glued it, and I thought it went well. However, now that I have cut out the cockpit opening, I am having trouble getting the two edges (of the forward and rear deck panels) aligned to glue with the butt block. When I look inside, I can see the problem: the forward panel was not strapped tightly enough when I glued it, so the deck arched too much in the middle of the boat. I can see that the deck is not sitting flat on the sheer clamp, but instead is glued to the outside edge of the clamp, with quite a gap between the clamp surface and the panel.

My questions are: 1) can I cut through the epoxy bond between the deck panel and the sheer clamp for a distance of about 10-12 inches, or is there a better way to separate the pieces? 2)once I get them apart, can I reglue the two pieces, even though they are both covered in cured epoxy?

As it is right now, with the arch as it is, I think the panel will crack if I try to bend it to fit. I am thinking that if I can somehow break the bond for 10-12 inches along the sheer clamp, then glue the deck in place correctly on the clamp, the change in angle will then be gentle enough that the panels will nearly touch, making it a simple job to join them.

Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Andrew

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