> I'm currently building my first kayak - Pygmy Coho. I've just glued up the
> inside butt seams with epoxy and fiberglass tape. Unfortunately, I may
> have used too much epoxy and also didn't extend the fiberglass tape far
> enough beyond the width of the panel, because some fairly large blobs of
> epoxy squeezed out along the edge of the panel at the butt seams. Although
> I'm on strike and have a lot of time on my hands, I don't want to spend it
> sanding this excess off. I've thought about maybe using a small hand saw
> (coping saw?) to remove most of it before sanding it flush to the plank.
> Any thoughts on how best to proceed?

Well, Louise and I working on a Pygmy Osprey Standard currently in the stitching phase, so I know what you're going through... The best way we found to deal with it was to trim the blobs with a razor knife or a razor scraper. If done within 12 hours, the blobs are soft and shave right off. What you don't get with the razor, you can just file down prior to drilling (much easier than sanding). Be sure to get it off down to the wood or close to it, though. The panels fit very tight when stiched and any leftover epoxy will be annoying.

> When I do the other side I plan to extend the tape plus try and
> remove/spread/squeegee the excess so I don't have to deal with this
> problem again.

I wouldn't worry too much about the "remove/spread/squeegee" part it would be tough to completely eliminate the excess epoxy since you squeeze it out by weighing it down. The instructions do say that the tape should overhang a bit (~1/4 - 1/2 in.?).

Have fun with the Coho; we're starting a Coho as soon as the Osprey's done.

Later,

Tim and Louise in Los Angeles.