You will want glass on the outside at least, it prevents the scratches from going too deep. My cape charles of several years old has 6oz glass on the outside, in addition to the seam tapes. Until this spring it had never been repainted. There were several deep scratches (I hit a rock...) and lots of small ones, but none into the wood. If you do get a scratch into the wood it should be dried and repaired right away. I use Pettit easypoxy, which is thier one-part paint. It scratches easier than the two-parts, but is also easier to use. Pettit also has a filler/primer the works very well. After the fill coats, rough the eopxy smooth with 80 grain or so, and use a few coats of primer to fill the inevitable lows. It dries quick and is easy to sand, and you can see when to stop sanding. If you want a rock-hard finish, as the other posts stated, use the two-part finishes. Be sure to use thier thinner and thier primer if you prime. I agree with Mike, too, that varnish looks nice. But dont discount the paint, it looks good too. I got lots of positive comments on my green tred avon, with the same system. I think the painted hull accents the deck.

> Thank for the response!

> So am I to understand then that the best scratch resisitant hull is just
> to stain the wood and then give it a clear epoxy finish? If so does that
> mean the fiberglass cloth normally used on the outside is now on the
> inside? After your l posting mentioning the avenues of achieving a better
> paint coat sealent, Im leaning heavily now with just letting the wood
> show. What does one do tho with that fiberglass cloth that is saturated
> with epoxy? We omit this when showing woodgrain or do we put the cloth in
> the interior? Again, ofcourse , i havent begun the process yet. Bottom
> line is that scratched epoxy im sure is a lot easier on the eyes then
> paint removed from abrasion.

> Again thanks!!

> Best Always ,

> Pete