Hi Dave:

I made the hull of my Expedition Single with two layers of 9 oz glass sheer to sheer. I placed them on the prepped hull together, smoothed them out with a dry brush and patiently wetted them out at the same time. For the record, the greatest advantage of going sheer to sheer is that you have no edge to feather in. The seam lies under the deck/hull tape.

I gained a lot of weight, abrasion resistance, impact resistance, stiffness, and experience. I took the boat on a trip this summer and played in rock gardens, sharp rocks, barnacles _everywhere_ and brought back several scratches, some 6 to 8 feet long or more. The boat never gave any hint of trouble. Under similar conditions in a commercial fiberglass boat, I could feel the hull flexing under me. I made it back from the trip of course, but I felt much more secure in my more rigid boat.

I like the idea of a sacrificial rib strip for the highest wear areas, like keel edges at the stern... Pete Rudie's boat (I think) was the first one I saw this on. Great idea.

Ed Valley