Last night I epoxied a strip of 9 oz. glass tape crossways on the inside of the deck, right in front of the rear hatch cutout. I also put one near the front hatch cutout, as well as one strip each across the hatch cover interiors. I want the deck to be strong enough to hold up to over-the-deck rescue practice. Just in case I have to do assisted rescue with a clumsy 200-pounder...I have seen 2 people actually kneel on top of their decks during screwed-up rescues; while theoretically nobody but me would be on MY rear deck, it's possible somebody could really screw up.

Several questions:

* Should I beef up the hatch lips before/during/after I install them? Or just follow the basic instructions? Seems like they could be a weak point.

* Any thoughts on double-layering the 6 oz. exterior glass cloth JUST in the area between the rear of the coaming and the rear of the rear hatch? If I do this, I would glass the deck in two pieces: one from the bow to the rear of the rear hatch, and one from the rear of the coaming to the stern. The overlap would make a double layer in the area described.

* The cockpit recess panel's "ears" (thigh brace mounts) have 2 layers of 4 oz. glass on the underside. When the deck is glassed, there will be 1 layer of 6 oz. glass on the topside. Is this strong enough for rolling practice (I will add minicell padding for comfort and contouring)? I have seen some people's photos of wooden arch-like "kneehangs" and various contoured additions.

* My kayak's bow and stern bottoms are fairly sharp, as they were beveled prior to stitching etc. If I plane them down more, I'm afraid I'll end up with side-by-side panels. Should I build up layers of dookie schmutz and round those as best I can, or should I just add some kind of keel protection strip?