Installing a ply false deck - soak or not?

pete_5

pete_5

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Sep 3, 2021
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Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia
Hi, This is my first boat build (Billing's Mary Ann) and I'm at the stage where I need to install the false deck on the ply bulkhead frame of the hull. The deck is laser-cut and made of a light 3-ply (approx 2.2mm thick). The deck has a reasonable sheer from end to end, and also a slight camber across the deck. It is cut into two halves lengthwise and it has been fettled to fit been the upper bulkhead horns.

My question is...is it best practice to soak the ply false deck in hot water before clamping and gluing to the frame to give it a bit of flexibility, or should I clamp through its natural tendency to remain flat and glue it in place under that strain?

Here it is just lightly clamped...

1709423155492.jpeg
 
Soaking plywood causes it to delaminate. Just clamp it. Or follow the kit's instructions if they say something specific about it.
If it seems really hard to bend in two directions, make cuts on the bottom side that don't cut through. If that's not an option cut it into length-wise strips along some "marked plank-lines" to hide the cuts.
I used luan plywood for a sub-deck (think sub-floor, not submarine) cut into 2 inch strips (it's a big model) to take the camber and the sheer, though that was glassed over and the deck strip planked over that.
 
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