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OK, so I have an answer to my own question. I have tidied up the split lines. basically I rubbed down the gel coat to the flanges where it was proud of the flanges (think barrier weepage). Then I did a trial fit, and voila, the gap is consistent, and straight. There are still rough chipped corners at the split, but i have roughly filled these with Gelcoat. I will let it cure for a few days then rub down to the flanges again, and so on. Looking good so far. I will try and post a pic of the final mould splits when done.
The reason this all came about is twofold. Firstly I applied release agent at the wrong time - instead of applying it to the pattern as a whole, I applied it to the pattern after the barriers were set up, so it didn't really get right into the sharp corners. Secondly, my barriers (polypropylene) should have been right up against the pattern (I didn't want them touching/rubbing against the pattern), but they weren't - a mistake, just get your barriers right up to the pattern. So i left a bit too much of a gap and filled the gap with putty. The putty was fine, but can move inward if you are stippling with a brush. Next time I will spray.
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