definately glass it,,you could do it in 4oz since that's what you're doing with the rest of the exterior, 6oz deck with a 4oz hull seams mismatched but it wouldn't mean anything other than being 8oz or so heavier,the thigh braces should get a good glassing on both sides since you might find yourself picking the boat up by one of them. To my sense the thigh braces didn't have to be so close at the front so I cut the forward part back about an inch by tapering the front part away.