Rob,

Having both S&G and cedar strip-built kayaks myself, I can tell you for sure that, using a similar weight of glass, my okuome plywood S&G boats are tougher. Let's face it, cedar does not have much crush resistance. It dents easily. If you want the same durability from a cedar boat, you must use heavier or tougher (i.e. s-glass) fiberglass. It all boils down to how you treat your boat and what you are willing to tolerate. For my purposes, the 5 oz. would be OK for the deck, but I would want more on the hull.

Ted

: I'm getting ready to order my glass and epoxy. Decided on Raka on the epoxy,
: mostly for cost/value purposes. People generally seem to have a good
: experience with it. By the way, we're talking standard Guillemot here.

: Now for the glass. Maybe I've overthought this . . . (no, I've definately
: overthought this). I'm intrigued by the 5oz. I did a plain weave 6oz on my
: s&g and had no problems. Now, that could be because I don't scrutinize
: like some of you guys do, or I just got lucky, or some combination of the
: two. So, in the context of light and strong, I was thinking 5oz. I'm
: counting on the Raka guys to have solved the problems of the past and give
: me some good advice on how to put this stuff down.

: The other option, inspired by Jim Kozel, is the 4oz s-glass. It sounds like
: he had a good experience with it.

: My first question is: are these two options close enough from a physical
: properties standpoint as to not make a big difference in
: strength/durability?

: Second: If using Nick's standard layup, should I just substitute whatever
: fabric I go with for his recomended coverages with 6oz?

: Are neither of these as good as the 6oz standard layup Nick suggests? Is
: there any real weight savings with one of these over a standard layup? Or
: should I stop thinking, and put down simple ol' 6oz on the whole boat!

: thanks

: Rob