: Hi All, I built my first kayak (Guillemot Night Heron) this past
: spring and as you all know the BUG bit very hard. I'm planning
: my next one as soon as the varnish dries. I have three questions
: for the Pro's Nick S., Allan, Bill H, Jay B, Mike B,et al. (1) I
: read conflicting reports about strip width and thickness and
: would like to know the pro's and con's about 1/4x3/4, 7/32x5/8,
: 3/16x5/8. (2) is 4 oz. glass harder to epoxy than 6oz. (3) what
: is the best method to hold the strips so they are stapleless,
: thanks for helping this 81 year old fool Nick.R.

Last first, I've not gone stapleless, so won't comment on that.

I kinda prefer thinner wood than 1/4" it's just too heavy. 5/32" or 3/16" seems to work for me, depends on what wood I've got. As mentioned wider strips don't really work with thinner strips, you have to remove too much material on the tighter radius parts and doesn't leave much wood once you're done. It only takes an extra couple days using narrower strips, no biggy. I've even used 1/4" wide strips on tight radius edges, which is kinda a pain but works fine.

I've gotten to the point I only use Thayercraft's 3.2 ounce tight weave glass. One it's cheap, it's extremely easy to wet out and you can always double or even triple it if needed. It's also completely clear against wood, difficult to tell the wood is glassed by looking at it. It's also more fragile in a single layer, I can live with that.

Bill H.