You findings and conclusions are correct. Most people who use a sealer coat use a roller and as you discovered, they are actually starving the wood a bit. So, it's a toss up. Starve the wood and seal it so no more can be absorbed when you glass. Or lay on more epoxy and let it soak in, making for a stronger wood surface. Personally I don't pre coat and I wet out my glass dry and squeegee on the epoxy fairly heavy and squeegee off excess. I tried the pre-coating and it's just another step that I didn't find necessary. I don't think any one way is right or wrong, it's what you are used to or works for you. Some epoxy makers recommend pre-coating because they want the glass coat to not get starved by the bare wood absorbing it. But usually they are using a roller and don't lay it on very heavy and they want to make sure their epoxy users have a good wet out guaranteed. Many excellent boats have built using both ways.