For the cockpit coaming on my Outer Island instead of stacked plywood rings I used 83 little blocks of alternating ash and cherry to create the same effect of the Schade's method -- alternating light and dark. On top of these I will be installing a lip of cherry plywood. I just epoxied the blocks on tonight. Some are 3/4" cubes, some were cut with a 10-deg. angle, and some with a 25-deg. angle to fit the contour of the opening. Playing with blocks -- just like being a kid again, except the 'paste' we use isn't edible...

My question: these blocks aren't connected, except by thickened epoxy. Is this sturdy enough? I was thinking if more reinforcement is necessary, I could screw a few of them to the underside of the deck, say every 10th one or so. But on the other hand, the deck seems rock-solid and the aft bulkhead provides support. Should I fiberglass the cherry plywood lip before I install it?

Thanks in advance. I hope to set up a very basic web site with pictures in the next few weeks, now that the project is coming to a close and I have a new computer...

Dean