: I am building a pygmy kayak....I have made a mess out of the stern
: stem....The fiberglass lifted....How do I "fix" this???????
: Helppppppppppp...........

First, you will need to remove the fiberglass where it has lifted away from the hull. You may have good luck cutting away the "lifted" cloth with a razor knife (especially if you do this *soon*, while the resin is still a little green), followed by sandpaper. You don't need to sand all the way back to bare wood, but you do need to get rid of any "white spots" in the glass, and you do want to smooth out any major bumps, etc. If it has been more than 72 hours since you applied your previous coat of epoxy, you'll need to scuff the surface with sandpaperwhere you'll be redoing it so you'll get a good mechanical bond -- if the epoxy is "dull" (i.e. not glossy), that's enough.

Then.... fiberglass that section again... I'd use a scrap triangle of cloth and wrap it over the end...overlapping the "good area" by about an inch or so. I've found that plastic wrap (e.g. saran wrap or whatever your favorite brand is) is really helpful for keeping the edge of the fiberglass from lifting away from the stems. Apply the glass, squeegee out the excess resin, and then wrap it up snugly in plastic wrap to hold it down while it cures. Later, after you've applied your fill coats & are ready to sand, you'll feather the edges... and Nobody Will Ever Know!

Good luck!

Julie Kanarr