The deck is done and the joint is plenty strong.  No butt block on the back side of the joint, whether wood or fiberglass, is needed.

However, I was not happy with how the tape worked out.  I don't think the joint was clean enough and will require some sanding to fix it up.  The taping was not worth it.  I think I came up with a better method.

I hung the pieces off the ends and sides of the table to precoat the edges of the joints.  I left off the tape and used a small acid brush to spread unthickened epoxy on all the edges.  I held the cup under the joint as I used the brush to catch any small drips.  What little got on the surfaces was easy to wipe off with a paper towel.  Since there was no waste, I only needed 1 squirt of epoxy to coat both joints.

(BTW, I put down some 4 mil plastic sheet under each location of the jig.  Last time I used waxed paper and it moved around a bit.)

Then I placed the stern section in the jig and put some thickened epoxy only at the peaks and valleys of the fingers because those are the only areas of full contact.  The sides have a small gap which I filled just like filling a drywall joint.  Again there was no waste so I only needed 1 squirt thickened with wood flour and microfibers for each joint.

This method used about half of what I used for the deck due to less waste.  Yes, the deck is wider than the side plank, but not by that much.

Of course the proof will be told tomorrow.  Will the side plank have a strong joint and be clean too?

If this works, it is less time, less waste, and cleaner.

        

 

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