: In my haste to get my Great Auk into the water, I temporarily attached some
: bungee cord in front of the cockpit with wood screws. I had backup blocks
: inside the kayak and pre-drilled the holes. Unfortunately, I didn't seal
: the holes through the strips and water seeped in and swelled the wood. The
: wood in swelled along the grain for about 1 1/2 inch long and 1/4 inch
: wide, on several of the holes. I have drilled the holes out to 3/8 inch
: and am going to fill with epoxy and re-drill for through the deck bungees.
: What I need to know is; Will the wood dry out on its own if I leave it for
: a few days? Should I sand off the raised part and apply a fiberglass
: patch? Just leave the raised part alone? Open for suggestions.

: Thanks,
: Ronnie

Well, everything worked out. I did put a 100 whatt bulb over the holes, but not close enough to heat the wood and fiberglass too much. No more that it would get on a hot day of paddling. I think the bulb just more or less kept the air around the holes dry. After about three days the humps disappeared. I filled the holes this morning.

Thanks for the help.