: SOURCE: I'm reading some attractive things about Raka - quality with a low
: price - so I figured I'd go with the flow and use that. I figure that some
: of you have recently done some research to find the vendor with the best
: pricing. So, rather than replicating that effort, I figured I'd just ask
: what the results were? Anybody do a recent search and can recommend them
: to me?

Part of the reason Raka is so economical is that they have no subsidiary vendors or retailers. You buy directly from the formulator. Look up http://www.raka.com and you can see their full line. Give Larry a call--he's very helpful.

: SCHEDULE: So, does my lay-up sound
: about right?

I built a Guillemot at 18' long. I used 1/4" pine, cedar, and redwood strips. I covered the outside of the hull with 2 layers of 5 oz. glass. Inside the hull was 1 layer, with an additional layer through the cockpit. The deck got one layer of the 5 oz. inside and out. Stem and stern got 3 layers of 3" wide bias strips cut from the 5 oz. Extra layer behind the cockpit. 2 layers of 9 oz. x 2" glass tape on the inside seam. 1 layer bias cut 5 oz. on the outside. I also have patches of 15 oz. biaxial cloth inside the stem and stern for crush protection.

And...this all weighs 47 lbs. empty. I've bashed the heck out of the hull, played in surf, played in tide rips, played around rocks and breaking waves. You may not be "there" yet, but if you feel you might be one day, and this could be the boat you will want to use out there, it's easier to reinforce it now than retrofit more glass (or repair!) later.

: QUANTITIES: From Jay's manual, I found references to getting 2 gallons of
: epoxy and hardner, and some 2" glass tape. With a boat length of just
: under 18', I figure I'd need 72' of tape, plus some "boo-boo"
: wiggle room.

Sounds about right--you might use less than 2 gallons, but you can use the extra for paddle building, small projects, repairs, etc.

: But on the glass cloth, I didn't find a reference (did I just miss it?), but
: think that it will take about 23 yards - 11 yards of the 4 oz and 12 yards
: of the 6 oz - based on some stuff I read in Nick's book.

Depends on the glass width. That sounds about right for 38" cloth.

Happy building!

Shawn