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The tongue-in-groove joint will go together easier if the sharp edges of the plastic are reduced. Use your knife to lightly
scrape only once or twice along both sides of the Deck groove and both sides of the Hull edge with the blade at an angle to
the edge. Next you will insert the Hull into the Deck
without glue or sealant
to mark the sides of the Hull.
Because the Transom is angled, you have to engage the Deck into the Transom first, at an angle. Once the Deck in on the
Transom, put a piece of masking tape over the end to hold it in place.
Working from the stern to the bow, tuck the Hull into the groove of the Deck. Add tape at the middle when you are farther
along. When you finish a the tip of the bow, add a piece of tape there. Press evenly to ensure the deck is fully engaged onto
the hull. Adjust the tape to remove any slack. No need to tightly pull the tape. It is just there to hold thing in place.
Mark a thin pencil line onto the Hull around the edge of the Deck. Remove the Deck. The line should be a uniform distance
from the top edge of the Hull, around 5/16-inch. If it is not even, it was not fully engaged. Examine the hull for burrs or
debris that would have caused it to not fit together. Repeat until you have an even line. When using sealant to glue the Deck
to the Hull, this line will confirm that the Hull is fully seated into the Deck groove so there is no question that they are
properly bonded together.
