: I've heard you mention NOT filling the weave a couple of times and I'm
: curious. Why would you not do that?? Wouldn't your glass be much more
: exposed to damage without the fill coat of resin to protect it?? If the
: glass fibers get cut, as in a scratch or gouge, that will weaken it's
: strength considerably, or so I've heard here.

Hi Rehd, I got a lot of sagging on the fill coats of my first boat and I hate sanding epoxy. I'm not a big expert on layups but my understanding is that an outer layer of epoxy wont give you much protection anyway... My thinking is to use the resin just as glue and not as a protection layer. My dining room table is finished with Bartop varnish and I swear you can't hurt that thing. I don't know how marine varnish compares but I'm hoping that 3 coats of Captain's will give me enough protection. Also, there is not much weave there to fill.

I'd be interested to hear comments from others who might know for sure if there is a strength penalty from not doing a fill coat. My original idea for this layup came from the builder formerly known as... sorry, I can't even use the initials - it's bad luck