: Some
: instruction I have been given recommends putting your second and
: third coats of epoxy on (to fill the weave) within 8 to 24 hours
: of eachother. What is the reason for this? Is it a bonding
: thing? Are there ways to "adjust" this? Another
: question I have is in regard to "filling the weave".
: Should the entire surface look like glass when you look at it at
: an angle? No fiberglass texture peeking through? If you need to
: add a little more in certain areas later, is that a problem?

The idea about adding the fill coats within 8 to 24 hours (depends on various factors) is that before the epoxy is fully cured, a subsequent coat will form a strong bond to the underlying layer. The problem is that epoxies eventually form a waxy amine layer that a fresh coat will not bond to properly. Different epoxy formulations will have this issue to different extents. If you are waiting longer than recommended, you must wash off the amine blush using water (fortunately the amines are water soluble) and wait for the kayak to dry completely.

There is a ton of good info available about kayak building. I would recommend reading the info supplied by your epoxy maker (most have online documentation, many specific to boat building). Many of the kayak building sites (e.g. Nick's site here) have lots of info. I also recommend the One Ocean Kayak web site as he has many good technical discussions- Vaclav's page on epoxy testing will answer all your questions