: I have just started construction of a Pygmy Artic Tern '14 and I have a
: couple of questions: 1) In my very first batch of epoxy mixed together in
: an effort to glue the butt seams together, I somehow managed to not put
: enough hardener in. It has been over a week and it is still slightly tacky
: spots. Any suggestions for handling this? Or just wait it out until it is
: completely hardened (assuming it will completely harden).

: 2) I did manage to mix appropriate amounts of resin and hardener while
: glueing the other butt seams. I just started sanding the hardened resin
: down to be smooth with the wood. How picky do I need to be about this. I
: have developed some air pockets in the cured epoxy and I am wondering if
: it is necessary to completely smooth these out. OR, will the subsequent
: coats of resin and glass fill these in sufficiently. Any other suggestions
: about working with this very first step??????

: Thanks!
: Scott

Scott, i'm sure your question has been answered by now with all the great responses to your post. I'll throw a few comments in anyway.

I'm a first time builder just now finishing my Tern kit and had great results with the project, the boat looks terrific. Throughout the process I solely used the System 3 epoxy and measured using the pumps. I found that the full squirt of resin to the half squirt of hardener (make sure you install the pump restrictor) worked every time for me. I agree with the others that mixing throughly is crucial and I mixed each batch for a minimum of one minute and didn't run into problems.

My personal opinion regarding your "joint" dilemma is that if you have any question as to the integrety of the joint, cut your losses and redo it! Since the epoxy is not completely hardened you could probably scrap most of it off using a cabinet scraper or even a paint scraper. You can then re-prep the surface by sanding. Trying to sand the epoxy before it has hardened just cloggs the sand paper and quickly makes it ineffective. As for the finish of the joints I took the time to sand and "feather" the joints after they had hardened. I think this probably saved me some time in the long run because the joints were easier to work with laying flat on the floor and sanding them with an orbital sander.

Good luck, I'm just now installing the hatches on my Tern17. I had such a great time with the kit that I plan to start Tern14 kit soon.