After several hours of installing(dry-no epoxy yet) my first marine veneer decking this weekend, the task feels like a cross between laying hardwood flooring and ceramic tiles.

Studying endless photos of decking and cockpits, the most important thing (to me) is that the pattern is pleasing to the eye.

With no real recipe, I started laying the 1/2"x 1 1/2" Ipe planks - full - inside the bullnose trim. That made sense, visually. It worked out fine going outboard. I'll do the port side next. When the planks approach the middle, I"ll figure out what to do. I may end up with an oversized center plank. That works. Or a little trimming to make it 'look' like a perfect pattern across.

I like it! Standing in the cockpit, I think this will work nicely. The true test was my wife. She wasn't happy to hear I was building a new cockpit. She loved the old one. When I explained it couldn't be fixed, she didn't believe me(she thinks I can fix anything,...) When she saw this much decking installed, she beamed a big smile.

Wood is a lovely material, people love it.