: I'm planning to glass the inside of the deck of my modified Great Auk I'm
: building (had to shorten the desing to fit the garage shop - classic
: spouse story). I'm wondering if anyone has installed Carbon Graphite
: and/or Kevlar "Band" reinforcement around the fore & aft
: hatch openings. I'm considering 1.5 - 2" wide ribbon laid in front
: and behind the openings and also behind the cockpit where entering/exiting
: can put a lot of concentrated pressure on the hull. Several questions to
: ponder. Good idea/worth the effort? Should the bands be laid below or
: above the main glass reinforcing layer of cloth. Is Graphite or Kevlar
: better? Should the bands be carried 360 Deg. around, or just the deck
: section?

: Any comments would be appreicatied.
I belive you are refering to a ring frame and not the hatch frame. I used a 8" band of glass over the first layer. I went 3" beyond the hull dech joint so my butt load would transfer to the fore/aft tape. I did one front and one back of the coaming. It is rock soild with 210 lbs. of me sitting on the deck.