I'm building a Merganser 17 and having many problems attaching the deck to the hull. I am up to the point of filleting the seam and taping it. I have large hatch openings, but I still don't fit in them very well. It is dark, I can't see, and there is no room to twist and turn. Yesterday, I taped one side and ended up with a head full of epoxy.

This morning I looked at yesterday's results, and I am sick. On one end I have a bunch of rolled up hard fiberglass tape, which I cannot reach. On the other end, the tape veered off course after a couple of feet, not even on the seam. It too, ends in a mass of rolled up cured epoxy and fiberglass.

Today, I will take the boat outside to work. My garage is dark, then I'm sticking my arm and part of my head inside a small cave (the hull) to work. I can't see what I'm doing. I have no idea how to see in that tight space while I am working. I must have just gotten sloppy while being so frustrated yesterday. Do you sacrifice a flashlight, laying it in the goop in the hull while you work. No, you must tape it up or something, otherwise it would be laying on the tape you are applying. Maybe I need to go to a surgical supply store and get a fiber optic light. That is the only thing there is room for.

How do you work in there and keep it neat and clean? I can't imagine ever getting everything smooth enough to pack either end for touring.

It sounds extreme, but what about not filleting and taping very far up the inside, then taping the outside of the rest of the hull? Then I'd feather the tape edges with an ROS before glassing the hull and deck.

Help! Any tips or ideas on attaching the deck to the hull would be appreciated.

Also any tips on removing the cured fiberglass gobs I can't reach?

Don