Bruce--

A fill coat is not required on bare wood (I never use one) but can help reduce bubble formation due to outgassing. If you let your epoxy cure as the ambient tempature drops this also helps a lot.

Six-ounce E-glass should conform to the bow and stern curves of most kayaks without resorting to cutting darts or patching in pieces. The secret is to go slow, working out wrinkles as you go and work equally on both sides. This is an area where a picture, or a video, is worth a thousand words. If you can get someone who has done it before to help it will seem simple.

I like to wet out cloth with a roller which is also a good tool for working out wrinkles. I lay the cloth on straight but do most of my roller work at a 45 degree angle to the weave. I have found it helpful to lay the cloth on dry and trim it around the sheer 2-4 inches oversized. This reduces the cloth hanging down and getting in the way but gives a little margin so you're not working with the cut edge of the cloth. But if you trim close you do have to watch for the cloth shifting and skewing as you work out wrinkles. Go slow (a slow cure epoxy helps here) and it should go smoothly.

Mike Scarborough
Friendship Kayak