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When I'm at the stage where I remove the deck staples, I fair the deck with a few random staples left along the shear. I remove these at the end. Weither you use a T-Beam or Box Beam it's the same. Once the deck Outside is glassed it's put aside. Since it's very flat it won't distort. I then flip the forms over and retach it in a few places to the strong back and fair the hull bottom. If all the forms poped off - that's unusal.I understand you feel that the center beam would keep all the forms in tact. Once you re-mount 4 stations you have a good solid platform to fair the hull. Once you glass the outer hull, I let it cure with 4 forms in it and left taped or wraped with bungee cord. With the center beam method, you're still left fairing the inside hull empty. I find that after the inside glassing is done it's almost impossible to back on a complete set of forms unless you remove the end forms.
No matter what method you use, the hull and deck wil not match due to epoxy and glass. Most of the time a little prying and pushing will do it.
The center beam method would be hard to make for my boat since it's fairly low volume and the beam would be sticking out the back deck hull without stair-stepping the beam etc.
I would venture to guess that most people use a traditional strong back. I think whatever works, works. I find a long 2 x 4 too wobbly on a long boat. Although I think it's a good idea if it works well.
Nick's brother built a laminated 2 x 4 to get around this and even that had a huge bow in it after a few years. I went with a T-beam because it dosen't force builders to get into a major construction project and it's stiff, stable and cheap. I didn't invent it. I saw it in a Canoe book.
I'm very open minded to any better way.
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Guillemot Kayak - High
Performance Wooden Sea Kayak Designs
