: Hello,
: I'm a first time builder currently glassing a Guillemot. I have just glassed
: the inside of the hull and it has flexed open 1" while curing, if I
: had noticed the problem earlier I would have installed spacers before the
: resin was fully cured. My concern is that packing tape will not be enough
: when it comes time to join the halves. It takes quite a bit of force to
: squeeze it back to a 21" beam. Is 1" a problem? Will the process
: of joining the halves flex the whole thing back into shape, or should I
: try to fix this now? Would it help to install spacers and then add a fill
: coat of epoxy inside, or should I just try to get the deck to 21" and
: muscle the halves together when the time comes? Any advice would be much
: appreciated.
: -James

You should absolutely users spacers to keep the right shape after epoxying, but i guess you already know that buy now ;-)

Try setting the hull in the sun for an hour or two and add the spacers as the epoxy softens just a little bit. Should be no problem getting your 1" back that way. I usually add spacers at form locations. That way you can use the sheer line for for correct spacer size. Remember to keep the spacers in place at all times, unless when you are sanding or epoxying. A fill coat will not help here, but probably make things worse.

When you put hull and deck together, luggage straps and wedges in different sizes will be necessary, together with some brute force (IMHE), but you do not wish to wrestle a 1" gap, unless absolutely necessary.

Brgds,

Jesper,
Copenhagen, DK