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Skirts

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On the RV-8A should the left and right fiberglass canopy skirts overlay each other at the rear of the canopy, or should they be cut to form a butt joint where they meet. The overlapping would seem stronger but take more fiberglass build up to smooth everything out. The butt joint would seem weaker but would allow for a better fit to the canopy and fuselage. Manual and drawing do not show a detail of what Van's is thinking.
 
Scarf joint?

I haven?t done one yet, but would a scarf joint work? Taper each half so they overlap without building thickness?
 
scarf is fine, strongest although not a lot of force in this location. you will need to hold the halves solidly in place while whatever you are using cures. I pinned it with a piece of aluminum and a couple clecos

i ended up doing more than one layup, sand, adjust cycle. Work on it until you are happy.
 
Thanks to all. I am doing the scarf. The immediate advantage is being able to cello the skirts together at the rear while fitting without a bunch of extra material in the way.
 
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