Years ago I epoxy coated a foredeck for a small dinghy and set it aside for a few weeks while I was building the hull. It cracked when I tried to fit it, yet had easily bent when I first fitted it weeks before. My first lesson in epoxy post curing (hardening of epoxy over time- somewhat temperature dependent). Since then I precoat panels on a flat table not long before I fit them so they are still flexible. Ideally, I like to hot coat while the epoxy can still have a chemical bond but that's not always possible.
Cheers
Peter HK