Patsy:

I think it is best to get the saturation coat on after you cut the panels to size, before you scarf. This saves epoxy ($$) by not having to coat what doesn't end up being a boat. I must say I sometimes do not have the patience to do this however and sometimes the hull is fully assembled before I get the first full coat on. I don't use a saturation coat on the parts I fiberglass, like the exterior of the hull, to save weight (epoxy layers add up). I have never noticed epoxy coating dulling saw blades, but I suppose it does to some extent. Certainly not like cutting fiberglass laminates.

Epoxy does indeed make it a little harder to mark and see pencil lines, but not a big problem. If you sand the epoxy a little, it helps.

It is said that epoxy changes the bending characteristics of the plywood, but I have not noticed that it is particularly important.

The main reason I can think of to get the coats on early is to prevent "along the way" staining of the wood. This is only important if you plan to finish the wood with clear finish (varnish, etc.) when done. If you are painting, it doesn't matter when you saturate as long as you can reach everywhere. The deck certainly needs to be fully coated before it is installed.

Craig

: I'm going to do a saturation coat on my Okoume before I get too far into the
: project, but now I'm wondering exactly when to do it. I was going to do it
: after cutting the scarfs and before gluing, but now I'm wondering if I
: should wait until I do the offsets and cut out the panels. Will the epoxy
: make it harder to make pencil marks on the wood and worse, make it harder
: to cut it? I would think it would dull my jigsaw blade faster.

: Any thoughts and/or opinions?

: Patsy