Hi Chris; With all 1/8 stock I would avoid rocks and rough water. I built my Chessie 17 from a kit and bending the deck took some effort. There have been a number of posts on this board about eliminating the screw shank nails to affix the deck, but after trial fitting, I thought the extra margin was like insurance and used them. With the thinner deck the bending will be less severe and you should only need the glass to stiffen the wood (assuming you used the shear strips!) Wrapping cloth around to the hull is probably not going to gain much. The epoxy should hold the deck in place. If you plan to install the hatches, the thinner deck will not hold the curve as well in the area of the cut outs and you may need some extra stiffening there. The need to glass only on top of the deck or under depends on your intended use. If you bury your bow in a big wave the stresses on the deck reverse. The top goes in compression and the bottom will have a tensile component. How big this is depends on the wave. Think about swimming in cold water, your intended use and decide what is important. It is a great kayak. Enjoy Jeff Warrick