: Larry,

: Nice find! I am familiar with the Isere by the Phoenix website only. In the
: 1980's I paddled a Phoenix Slipper on class III - IV whitewater, and it
: was a very fun boat -- an outdated slalom kayak.

: A number of years ago I acquired a free Phoenix Cascade from a friend. It's
: built similarly to your Isere, but no pigment. I keep it around to paddle
: class I-III rivers. It's a great river touring boat, and good to throw in
: the rack in case a chance to paddle happens. I also explore small lakes
: with it. The Cascade lives under my apple tree for shade, and is holding
: up very well.

: Don't burn your Isere! One of the great qualities of these boats is their
: light weight, and they are pretty darn tough. I hope you can keep the
: weight down in your repair, but more experienced people will have to
: advise you.

: Good luck,
: Chris

Chris,
Thanks for the pics. My hull is translucent like your Phoenix. Mine was really battered from being dragged on the stems. I repaired all the bad spots and rebuilt the stems. Over this hoilday weekend I reglassed the hull with 2 oz. plain weave glass. I used white pigmented epoxy for the fill coats. The pigment didn't hide like paint, as others suggested it wouldn't. However, I'm very happy with the results. I sanded the first fill coat while still green as well as the second fill coat. This method really removes a lot of excess epoxy and makes a usually tough job quite manageable as well as making a very smooth surface while reducing epoxy weight.
I will have to paint the hull but I should be able to get a 1-2 coat finish with the white pigmented epoxy as a good under color. I don't think I added much weight with the 2 oz. glass. Also I may cut the fiberglass seat out so I can carve a foam seat. This will possibly cancel any weight I have added.
I will post pics of this finished vintage boat. This project has me inspired to finish my Nordic Arrow (20'x20"stripper) that I started 2 winters ago.

Thanks to all for your suggestions,
Larry C.