> I am a couple of days away from fiberglassing my kayak. Never having done
> this before, I am a little aprehensive. I searched the archives and mainly
> found threads on how to fix fiberglassing srew-ups (didn't do a whole lot
> for my confidence). 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

Stan had a lot of good tips. I'll just augment with some of my own.

1. I use a roller only for the filler coats. For the cloth wet-out, I used a 2"-3" chip brush. It makes it easier to saturate the cloth than the roller, and it's easier to control than a squeegee. It is slower than both the other techniques, but if you're not in a hurry, and you mix small batches (3-4 pumps) you can work at a comfortable pace.

2. Don't overheat the resin/hardener containers. I tried the advice of heating the containers to decrease the initial viscosity and aid wet-out. Turns out I heated the resin too much and it was 'going-off' within minutes of mixing and inhibited wet-out. Unless you are working in a cool workplace (< 65 deg), I would be very careful about heating up your containers. Room temp of 65-75 will work fine.

3. Remember to saturate the wood in falling or at least constant temperature to avoid bubbles.

4. Squeegee thoroughly, but don't starve the cloth. If it turns whitish, it's been starved, so add a little more epoxy and re-squeegee.

5. After you've finished, tip off the surface with a clean foam (or other) brush. If you've used a brush to apply the epoxy, there won't be too many bubbles. If you've used a roller there will be quite a few. Every half-hour or so, check on it and pop any bubbles coming up from the cracks between strips. If you see them anywhere else, the temp may be rising. Check for areas of the wood that may be absorbing epoxy from the cloth. You may need spot-recoats.

6. Try to do your fill coats after the previous coat is no longer tacky. But, don't kill yourself trying to do it if you'll end up working into the wee hours. If you drop the temperature, you can usually apply another coat the next day. As long as you can dent the epoxy with your fingernail, it's still safe to recoat without surface preparation.

7. Play some music that calms you down, and enjoy yourself.