[alarie]

I like to grind first, I think you get a smoother surface when you go to glass it back up. As to the putty and grinding again, I always try and go for it in one step. In this case put in your plywood, putty all edges, squish on the transom face and clamp/screw into place, smooth out the putty on the bond line, wet out and glass your already perfectly flat bevel, peel ply and roll out the air bubbles.

This method is a lot less work, you just have to have your S@#! together before you get wet. It's all in the prep work and fitting. You are not gaining any time by rushing into glue and putty until you are ready to put it all down in one step.

As someone that does this almost every day, I can tell you that efficiency lies in eliminating steps. It may not seem like a big deal to glue on the face, then grind smooth, then glass, but I am already onto fairing the repair and you are still putting down glass.

I also think that you gain a lot of strength by having everything wet at the same time, instead of relying on secondary bonding between wet and dry elements.

As far as the grinding, the easiest way to do a good job is when the pieces are together, held in place by each other.