Hmmm... interesting question.

There is an interesting dissection of S&G joint failure modes & how to overcome them on the Betsy Bay Kayak website. Just follow the link below. Here (and it seems logical) it is suggested that glass on both sides of the joint makes a better joint than glass on one side & just a fillet on the other side 'coz it'll help prevent failure of the ply laminate glue joint.

I would usually suggest to go with the designer's recommendation (he must know his design better than anyone) but I would suggest a small fillet + glass on the inside would be at least as good as a large fillet & no glass.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Phil.

: I am about to fillet my Artic Hawk kit hull together. With the tight string
: test the keel line looks pretty straight, I will double check every thing
: a couple of more times. (Just a little up tight about getting something
: wrong!!!)

: Guestions: It seems to me the instructions call for some really wide fillets
: on the seams. All of the hull already has 4 oz on the interior. So if I go
: with fillets that are as small as possible and then put a layer of bias 4
: oz on the joints will I have a tough strong enough boat for general use?

: Also, designer has me putting in a piece of the plywood about 1 1/2 inches
: wide by about 6 feel long and filling the gap between the bottom and the
: hull and where this piece rests on the bottom panels. Again would some
: glass tape be a decided loss of strength? I am 5 ft 3in and should weigh
: in at 150 but have bloomed to about 175 to 185. Really need to lose the
: weight, but it is more fun to obsess about trimming a few ounces from the
: boat than to eat right and drop 30 pounds myself.

: Thanks for all the info you guys share.