I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference, but what should be the order of things done after all fillet has been done to the corners with thru drains installed & bare plywood treated with resin. Would the tabbing in go first -or- should a course of fiberglass go on the surface of the plywood (gusset) first before the tabbing starts? .......I'm using 1708 & vinylester resin. I removed the old gussets that suported the keel stringer because I found rot in the area of the drain holes ........On the 2 gussets that I removed, the glass (that did encase the rotted core) was sooo thick it would've made no difference structurally if they stayed in!

Anybody have an expert opinion?.........I'm ready!

I actually like the look of tabbing on top If it is multiple layers like two full covering layers and two l yers of tabbing i would stagger them in. cover the entire thing with one layer then one layer of tabbing then one more full layer then a final layer of tabbing.

Thanks Dave.......considering how thick the glass was on the old gussets, would the 1708 (2 tabbings plus 2 full layers of covering the gussets) be enough?.......everything is so over built on this mag & compared to what I've removed, the replacement parts seem so small & under built.

two full layers and two tabs is generally a pretty good layup. The biggest thing you can do to help strength is balance the resin and cloth. Your better off with four well balanced layers then six super wet fat ones. Plus materials have come a long way, use a good quality vinylester and you will be good. A trick to help with resin distribution is to use a yellow bondo spreader after you've wet everything out well, do all your roller work setting the laminate and while its still wet pull out the excess resin and minor air bubbles by drawing the spreader across the surface. I usually keep a couple old rags and a thin piece of cardboard on hand to scoop the excess out with. Vertical surfaces just about self balance but horizontal surfaces will need to be troweled out, work toward lower areas and pull out as much excess resin as you can. you should be left with a surface that is somewhat satin with no pooling or glossy spots. One of the biggest things i see on the "do it yourself" side is overly wet laminations. Less (or should i say balanced) is better here but many times you need to soak it pretty good to get the fabric down the pull out the excess. Most guys just spread it around but you really need to get it out of there.

Dont be hesitant to throw extra tabs in there if ya want, to tell ya the truth i am laying mine up heavy. I want to keep my Mag on the stout side for ride quality. Not real concerned with top end speed, i will sacrifice speed for ride any day on a pleasure boat especially here in Lake Erie where our water tend to be washing machine chop.