by truenorth on Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:57 am
Bob, yep, that's pretty much what I'd recommend. I'll add, though, that the original idea was told to me by Chris, another builder, and I am belatedly agreeing 100% with him. I didn't fully appreciate what he was suggesting until I was hanging in the hull trying to 'glass. If I had to do it again, I'd leave the cleats off until after fiberglassing. The cleats should, individually, get 2 coats of epoxy and sanded down prior to installation, but only after the bulkheads and transoms are installed and 'glassed.
Just fit & mark them but don't install them. The cleats should fit pretty well in the boat if you do that. Kit builders will also note that some of the holes in the hull for the wires go through the cleats themselves once on, reinforcing the idea they should be left off. One final note -- the upper cleats on bulkheads #1 and #2 can be installed right away as 'glass doesn't get that high.