What you descibe is called a shoe box type hull to deck joint and it is generally considered the weakest of joints. I don''t actually think that a Contest has that. I think that a Contest 36 uses inward turning flanges which is the third weakest connection techinique(after an outward facing flange). The strongest joint occurs at the deck
line with a wide inward facing flange that is integral with the hull that is adhered and through bolted through the toerail, deck and this flange and protected by a rub rail. At that point, glassing does almost nothing except trapping water and causing the bolts to corrode undetected.
Jeff