Hi Larry,

I prefer to precoat, think of it as a primer.

While precoating is another step there benefits that justify the time.

Don't think there is a cost or weight penalty with precoating because the resin is going to soak in anyway. By precoating I feel that I get better control over how much epoxy soaks into the wood and I won't have to worry so much about resin starved areas under the cloth later.

By precoating I can control outgassing and penetration. Since the wood is sealed I don't get different rates of absorption when wetting out the cloth and the results are better for me. Also the precoat also shows up any problems and I can deal with them without worrying about the cloth.

Bonding should not be an issue if you do the rest of the fiberglassing with in the time period specified by the manufacturer. I precoat on a friday evening and plan to finish the glassing the next day. The overnight set gives me a good cure that I can work with easily.

Hey, both methods work. Go with what ever you are comfortable with.

Hank