Slot strip installed

Today the slot strip arrived from the UK. I've had a 3" wide area masked off and sanded for about a week now in preparation for this.

Slot strip kit

I could have ordered raw slot strip material and used 3M VHB like WoodNMetalGuy, but the kit wasn't very much even with shipping from the UK and I've never minded working with rubber cement glue. I think the 3M VHB is good stuff, but it's thicker than I wanted.

The slot strip is weird stuff. Much more rigid that I thought it would be.

masked and sanded a 3" wide strip

Trim the slot strip to length

Acid brushes are just about the right width when turned sideways.

Testing the width

I didn't like the imprecision of just slapping the the glue on and hoping I covered the whole surface, so I used a 1/2" piece of plywood to draw a pencil line for the glue boundary.

You can just see the pencil lines.

The instructions said to apply the glue, then wait for it to dry. Just like regular rubber cement.

Glue applied

 The instructions also said to use a stick to burnish the glue down. I used the handle of a discarded foam brush. Worked fine.

Pressing down the edges.

I had planned on keeping the bottom of the boat glossy epoxy black, so I don't need to paint the bottom.

And I applied the last coat of paint on the interior of the cabin top this evening.

So that leaves nothing left to do on the bottom. This weekend, I'll flip her right side up and start to work on the cabin top and other areas.