: There may be more than one factor causing the cloudy tape joints. I had the
: same problem building a Tern two summers ago. This summer, I built an
: Osprey double. No problem on it. Technique was a factor. I used much more
: epoxy and made sure to float the tape initially, then used the plastic to
: squeegee most of it out, including all air bubbles, and then I used LOTS
: of weight (more than the brick they recommend) to hold it while the epoxy
: set. Another factor may have been the tape itself. A friend of mine got an
: Osprey kit before I got my Tern's. He didn't get around to building it
: until this summer. He heard of a possible problem with the tape that Pygmy
: had been using, but supposedly no longer was. He contacted Pygmy before he
: started building and they replaced the seam tape without hesitation (don't
: know if they otherwise acknowledged a problem). My friend had the benefit
: of learning from my mistakes on technique. With the new tape and careful
: technique, he tells me he had no problem. He saved himself from having to
: do what I eventually did--sand down to and through the discolored tape,
: and then patch in with some strips of regular fiberglass. I got rid of the
: cloudiness that way, but wouldn't care to have to do it again. (And note:
: I presaturated the pieces on the Tern with clear coat to make sure I would
: not get any discoloration from sun or oxidation. So my cloudy joints had
: to be either technique, tape material, or a combination of the two). Live
: and learn.

Gini might have something there, tape takes a lot of resin to completely wetout. I built my Coho 3 years ago and pygmy did not supply mylar. I used wax paper. I wet the tape very throughly and used lots of weight. I dont have any cloudiness at all. The tape supplied then was more like 4oz., not 2oz. If I were to do butt joints again I would try 4oz. bias cloth as a tape.

Larry C.