Forward Deck | Making & Test Fit

I decided to prepare the forward deck for installation before I painted the interior of the hull, just in case I dropped anything hard or sharp into the boat in the process!

First I placed the deck panel in place and weighted it down so that it could not move, like this.

Then, laying on my back and reaching into the storage compartment, I scribed a pencil line on the underside of the deck so that I would know where to drill holes for temporary screws to hold it in place when glued up.

It was not possible to gain any access to the bow compartment, so I removed the deck panel and extrapolated the line around the sides of the hull, and measured where the lower breast hook and the cleat on bulkhead 1 would be.

Then I marked out and drilled holes for the temporary screws. I refitted the panel with a few screws, and marked out the required pilot holes in the sheerclamps and cleats and the lower breast hook before again removing the panel and drilling the pilot holes in the boat.

The cleat on bulkhead 2 is too narrow for an ordinary drill to be used there, but the Dremel with its flexible extension and a twist drill bit fitted worked extremely well.

I refitted the deck, fastened in place with drywall screws and plywood pads. This is what it looks like.

Lastly, the deck panel was removed and set aside to await installation.