: Any thoughts on whether I do a precoat before filling some minor cracks and
: spaces, or fill and then precoat?
Hi Rob, do yourself a big favor and DO NOT use an epoxy based filler prior to precoat. Doing so will will end up giving you blotches of different colored wood every were the wood gets wetted from the filler mixture. Once you have a precoat of epoxy (saturation coat) on the wood, the wood will not want to absorb any tinted epoxy from the filler mixture and will avoid blotched areas. You don't need to get a thick coat of epoxy on for your saturation coat. I find it best to let the epoxy absorb into the wood for several minutes, then use a plastic spreader to virtually remove any epoxy remaining on the surface. About an hour later I can fill any small voids remaining. Any voids that are large enough to get slivers of matching wood into is done prior to a saturation coat. Be sure you will be ready to cover with fiberglass and wet out the next day or even later that day so you don't have to worry about amine blush and so you get a good chemical adhesion. After your saturation coat, the surface may seam slightly rough or sandy to the touch. This is OK as long as it is not so bad as to catch the cloth as you drap it over the kayak. If it seems a little too rough, clean if off with a furniture scaper. You really dont want to scape it smooth as silk at this time, just take off any high bumps to avoid snagging the cloth.

Hope this helps
Tom