I'm not CLC personnel, but I did build a WD12 a couple of years ago. Based on that experience and a year and a half of paddling it, I can assure you that the deck stays on just fine with no deviation from the plans. And mine is not a timid Duck. It rides on top of trucks with no bow lines and has been out in a small craft advisory.

The extreme bow area, while not taped internally, does not really have any forces pulling the deck off, either. In fact, once you dry fit the deck, you'll see that there's a bend in the front that actually forces the deck downward at the bow.

With all that going on, the external fillet and glass holds the deck on just fine.

Laszlo

Filleting and glassing the ends of the boat, especially one as short as the Wood Duck, is not all that difficult. I've done two 17-footers this way. Use a caulking gun to do the fillets. West sells empty caulking tubes. Pre-saturate the tape with epoxy, roll it up and spread it with a stick or with a brush attached to a stick. I wouldn't trust the foam as glue. -Wes

Wes,

The brush-on-a-stick saturated rolled tape is in fact the recommended method for a WD12. However, there's a curve in the bow which prevents it from reaching all the way up front, so the last foot or so is left untaped.

Laszlo

Wes, do you mean West Marine? Are the caulking tubes new? That sounds like a great idea to reach all the way to the front. Thanks for the info.

The empty caulking tubes are part of the West epoxy line and I bought mine at West Marine. They cost $3 for two and can be reused. I made up a six-ounce mix of MAS epoxy and slow hardener, thickened it to a loose peanut butter consistency with a 3:1 ratio of Cab-0-sil to wood flour, and fileted one side of the hull to deck seam with the boat on its side leaning against a stepladder. Four hours later I tilted the boat over and did the other seam. I was concerned that the epoxy would set off too quickly in the tube, but that didn't happen. The air in my shop was about 70 degrees and dry. I used short 8" to 12" sheer clamps in the ends of one boat, and just glued the deck to the edge of the hull in the other boat, where it curves up as Laszlo mentioned. In this area, a good end pour will seal the seams anyway. More descriptions and photos, including my low-volume end pours, can be found at my kayak construction blog: www.twofootartist.com
-Wes

Okay, so last night I glued the top to the hull and reached as far up inside the WD12 as I could with the thickened epoxy. Then rolled out the saturated fiberglass cloth and used the brush on a stick for the stuff farther than I could reach. I gotta tell you that it went on less than perfect. I checked it today at lunch, and there are spots that the wrinkles did not come out and others that did not bond as tight as I would have liked. Did I mess up or is this standard fare for this method of "laying glass" on the top/hull seam? I guess if you built several of these boats that the work would go smoother and one might get the hang of laying that strip along the seam toward the bow, but my first one did not impress me and actually was a little frustrating. Hopefully the outside glass will give the joint plenty of strength.

applying that glass up to the nose of the WD is a pain but when i built mine i flipped the boat over on sawhorses and worked from underneath. i was able to get my body inside the cockpit and get that glass clear to the bow. it was messy. a 10.00 tyvek suit with a hood from the huge box store is the way to go. If i were to build another i would suspend the boat from the ceiling with straps and work standing up and with the boat flipped reach into the breach.   

I wouldn't worry about the wrinkles. The strength is there and the outside sheathing makes the joint watertight. A good way to check how it looks when you can't get your head and a light in a place to see it, is to snap a shot with a digital camera. You can then see where you have to smooth or adjust the tape. -Wes

Thanks guys for the info. I guess if I build another I have a lot of info and experience - gained the hard way - to maybe do a better job. I really like the idea of getting inside with a tyvek suit.

I couldn't reach into the end with my WD12 either but CLC told me not to worry. I used a stick to help reach/push the tape in place. The far end of the tape in the bow is messy inside but no one can see anad the deck holds on fine & is waterproof from the outside tape.

Ralph