: I have just finished the hull stripping on my first kayak - a Guillemot.
: Building a 17 foot boat in an 18 foot long room presents a fresh series of
: challenges, but that's a story for another day. There are a couple of
: places, particularly along the chine curve where the bead and the cove
: meet at too sharp an angle to create a flush finish. (By the time I
: recalled Nick's advice to mill a few narrower strips for such occasions I
: was too far into it.) I know it is going to be difficult to get a good
: colour match when I fill these joints with resin so I am considering
: hiding the flaws by staining the whole hull a darker tone. Would stain
: affect the ability of the resin in the glass coat to bond to the wood?

Be sure you do not used any oil based fillers. Oils interfere with the epoxy bond. Here is what I did on a cedar strip canoe that worked out well.
http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/KBbbsArchive.cgi?read=16319
I haven't heard of anyone else going to this effort to get even the staple holes filled. When mixing the color of the putty, first wipe wood strips with a little water and match the color of the wet wood.

If you want to color the hull try aniline dye.
http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/KBbbsArchive.cgi?read=28448

Dave