Ralph:

I just got done glassing the outside of our kayak (my boy and I are building two this Fall/ Winter). A couple of things struck me as we did the glassing.

1 - Lay the cloth (glass) out and let it sit where it will end up for awhile to let it "form" itself.

2 - Have the kayak wood (hull) warm when you begin, it keeps tiny air bubbles out of the epoxy.

3 - Mix up small batches of epoxy (preferably with a helper) because (unless you kayak is big) it does not take too many batches.

4 - Begin in the middle top (actually bottom as the kayak is upside down) and 'drizzle' the epoxy rather than pour it in one pile.

5 - Use a half paint roller to spread the epoxy working down to one end of the kayak. Take your time and work out the little ripples and kinks in the glass. they will come out with tender coaxing.

6 - Keep the epoxy thin or your glass will 'float' and get wrinkles under it.

7 - Work out the other side until the whol hull is covered.

8 - Take the roller and go back over the whole thing to 'even out' the epoxy.

9 - When the epoxy is 'evened out' pick up a 1 1/2" or 2" cheap bristle brush (.89 at Frank's Nursery) and very lightly go over the entire hull to remove the bubbles the roller puts into the epoxy.

10 - This is an important step!!!!! Sight the hull carefully with lights properly spaced and look for glossy areas. These areas are 'puddles' of epoxy you need to squeegy off (I used a plastic putty knife). Do not press too hard when removing puddles or the glass will shift. When you are finished the glass 'webbing' should be visible and there should be a matte finish.

11 - Keep going around the kayak when you are finished looking for bubbles under the glass or little touch ups that need to be done.

12 - After the first coat has dried to the touch put the second coat on and then the third when the second is dry to the touch. This way you do not have to wash and sand as you would if you let it cure too long.

13 - RELAX when you are doing it. The more tense you get, the worse it turns out. You can do it, you just need to go about it in an orderly, methodical manner.

> I was wonder if some of you could offer some tips, helpful hints, things to watch out for, etc. as regards to fiberglassing a
> kayak.

> Thanks, Ralph Wight