: OK, here it is, for anyone who is or is not interested. I hope thats
: everybody. I am NOT happy with my epoxy/glass work on the deck of my
: Guillemot "L". I even managed to stress the glass a little on
: the bow of the hull just below the sheer line when I spread it to align it
: with the deck in preparation for the deck/hull seam job.

: I even wrapped the yak in black plastic and layed it in the sun this morning
: in an effort to help in the curing of the seams (which should have already
: cured) by raising the temp. I sucessfully raised the temp, but when I
: decided that it was getting too hot and picked it up to bring it in, out
: of the sun,(not thinking before I acted again)I stressed the glass just
: below the recess on the right side of the cockpit - 3 white lines about 2
: feet long - right in the joints between the strips of wood - joint
: creep????????

: I am not a happy camper at the moment!!! I do not know if the humidity had
: anything to do with the epoxy curing slowly(its usually very high or
: raining this time of year in Fl), or if it is something with the epoxy
: composition, or I'm not ABSOLUTELY sure that there was no error on my part
: because I have been rushing(but my wife and I both mixed several small
: batches of epoxy on different days while doing the seams and she's more
: carefull than I).

: The only thing that I am sure abt right now (other than the fact that I'm
: ready to go paddlin')is that I,m not happy with my results! So, what I'm
: thinkin' is: do whatever it takes to get it in the water and if it starts
: bothering me too much - live with it till winter, peal off the crap and
: re-glass the entire outside of the boat AGAIN! This really sucks (I hope
: thats not being too crass) after so long a time and so much effort, but we
: all do what we feel is necessary.

: Nick is right about one thing for sure - you learn more from your mistakes
: than you do if everything goes as planned. The only problem is - I'm
: learning what NOT to do, but I'm not sure that I am learning WHAT to
: do!@#$%^&*

: Now, on the positive side, I'm still having trouble NOT thinking about
: building kayaks. I guess that means that in spite of all the frustrating
: things that happen during the building process, I'm still having fun to
: some degree! Also, I, with my wife's help' got the plywood bulkheads
: installed last night.

How long has it been since you applied the epoxy? I seem to remember you are using uscomposites epoxy. That's what I use in Texas...the slow cure type, which is blushless and very slow. Humidity has never been a problem...and it has been high...raining outside sometimes. If you are using this stuff it should be firming up very good after 12 hours, though it will still be a trifle sticky. I never move anything until 24 hours is up, or at least the next day. I've also found it to be very tolerant of mixtures. I'm sure a big goof would make some difference, though. If you put in too little hardener it should still cure, but not be as hard as it would be if you used the correct mixture. If you are not using the uscomposites stuff...then hopefully somebody else will have an answer. Don't be disgusted. This is a continual learning process for all of us...even those who have built lots of boats.