Thanks everyone for your advice. I've got on the final expoxy coat now and things look fair even with the odd bubble or mosiquote carcass in the expoxy. I'll paddle for a month or two before doing battle with the final sanding and varnishing... perhaps saving that for some long winter days

Thx

: I don't use any rollers or brushes and getting a smooth surface isn't that
: hard.

: I apply epoxy by pouring it on, rubbing it into the fiberglass with my gloved
: fingers and then squeeging the excess off. Once I'm done I go back to the
: beginning and apply another coat, wait several more hours and apply
: another. Each one is applied by pouring it on and squeeging it off.

: Once the applied coats have cured I sand it, but make sure not to go deep
: enough to sand into the glass. Then I apply another thin coat to make it
: look good until varnishing.

: The squeegee method will get it pretty smooth and will allow you to apply a
: paper thin coat.

: This one is hard to answer, because how do I explain smoothness? Obviously
: the smoother the better.

: Again, the smoother the better, If you have a bumpy surface it will show.
: Then you will have to sand the varnish to get it smoother and recoat.

: No, many suggest paddling the kayak for a month or so before applying
: varnish.