: Thank you for your well written and entertaining response; and especially for
: the ampification on the preparation for fiber glassing considering the
: sealer coat.

: I expect that I will stain very early, add the sealer coat, then several
: weeks later actually get to the fiberglassing. In any event I think I
: would not be able to seal; stitch and fillet; attach the deck; and then
: fiber glass within 72 hours.

Clarification: each layer of epoxy may be applied up to 72 hours after the previous layer without sanding. So, a schedule would be more like: Apply glass to hull exterior, 2 days later do fill coat, 2 more days later do second fill coat. That's 96 hours for hull exterior only but still all chemical bonds!

: As I got to FLASHFIRE I found myself trying to imagine what human malady that
: is!

To paraphrase the Behlen's label: Extinguish all sources of ignition including heaters and pilot lights prior to applying and until stain has dried and the fumes have dissapated. Failure to comply may result in FLESHFIRE.

: I must now find out what a cabinet scraper is, but I too find power too
: stress increasing.

Your average scraper is a 2.5" x 6" x #18 gage piece of sheet metal whose working edge has a sharp continuous burr which is scraped against wood or other material to smooth it. There is a tool to develop the burred edge, but I just draw a file back and forth across the edge and get a burr on both sides, but my burrs don't last long. There are scrapers that look like french curves as well as convex and concave edges. There are handles to hold the scraper in a nice curve or you can get cramps in your hands trying to manually hold the curve, if you prefer. The store at woodenboat.com sells nice examples of all of the above.

After you have filled your lungs with the toxic residues from sanding plywood or cedar, it's nice to remember that you could have been scraping instead (i.e. it could have been quiet with no dust and only some plane-like curly-ques to sweep up, and it might have been faster. Oh, and scraping creates a higher quality surface finish, it how master craftsmen do it. (Scraping may not be appropriate when the desired finish is rough, for mechanical bond preparation.)

: Boat two and three of our summer's work lost five pounds each over the
: previous boat.

You know what I'm talking about. On my first boat I was always ready to add more- thought I was making it stronger. But, my additions only added weight, not strength. As designed these boats are much stronger than they need to be. Now I say what can I do to make it weigh less? Lighter is faster and it takes less effort to manouver and to put up on the car.