: Night Heron. Ready to fiberglass in 2 weeks (warmer weather then).
: 1.Seems like I read that 80 grit is as high as I should go...before
: putting the glass on...so it would stick better. Someone told me
: that if I want a later-on super finish...I could/should(??) sand
: up to 120 BEFORE fiberglassing? which one is it?
: 2. Haven't put the glass on the hull yet, but won't I end up with a
: lot of extra material at front and rear because of the pointy
: areas? Do I make a cut at stern and bow and overlap a little?
: That sounds kind of tacky?!?
: 3. Plan on overlapping the deck about 3-5 inches down onto the
: hull. Will this leave a raised line? Can I sand this down
: smooth? what grit?
: I planned on making this an art project. Have used many exotic
: woods on deck. So...anyone got a recommendation for a super
: high-gloss varnish? Planning on at least 5-6 coats. Hey, I'm
: retired, Folks.
: KAYAK looks awesome...almost afraid to tackle the resin/glass part.

The finish prior to glassing and the finish after glassing are two entirely different things, mostly. If the surface is fair and smooth without gaps in the strips the finish you'll end up with depends almost entirely on the glassing. Normally the glass is set onto the hull on a bias, corner to corner so the weave of the fabric doesn't follow the keel line, this allows the fabric to more easily drape over the curves of the hull/deck. After it's set onto the surface, I normally tack it in place with push pins and then cut off most of the excess around the sheer. I leave 3 or 4 inches remaining and cut that off after it's stuck to the hull. Pull the pins prior to glassing because the glass moves slightly while you're wetting it out and you don't want it bunching up at the pins.

You can't sand into the fiberglass or it'll result in a non-clear finish, instead you add coats of epoxy where the glass overlaps to fair it into the hull and remain clear.

If this is your first glassing job, might want to try a couple small test pieces to get a feel for the glass/epoxy, specially if you've spent a ton of time on the woodwork.

Bill H.