Dumas recommends that you make up a crude temporary stand to support the hull during the rest of the construction. A cut down cardboard box works just fine. Pad the box with an old towel to keep it from denting the balsa planking.

Roger's Notes: Most boat modelers have boat stands that they use.   Either way, pad your hull or you'll make a career of filling and sanding dents.

Cement the deck halves on one side at a time. Line up the rear of the deck with the rear of the transom and the center of the deck with the center marks you made on the frames. Use masking tape or heavy pins to hold the deck half in place as the glue dries.

Roger's Notes: Before I glued the deck to the hull, I gave the inside of the hull a coat of Grey paint.  It is easier to paint the inside now.  Also, I painted the underside of the deck, leaving the areas where the frames and sheers contact bare wood.

Roger's Notes: This picture shows the deck glued in place.  Look at the paint on the inside. 

The hull is now ready for sanding. If you did a good job of planking, the hull should fair smoothly into the deck outline with a minimum of sanding. Very little sanding will be necessary to smooth out the contours of the hull. If you've been sloppy you'll probably have some cracks and hollows to fill. Dumas recommend microballoons and polyester resin paste for filling these cracks and hollows. This type of filler sands extremely well, especially if you rough sand it before the putty is completely hard. Final sanding should be done after the putty is completely dry and hard.

Roger's Notes: Dumas uses the word "sloppy".  I tend to think I'm not sloppy, just learning.