: I just got my second strip kayak. The guy told me it has a loose
: strip. I noticed after a good inspection of the boat a couple of
: things and had some questions. 1. is it normal to have a kayak
: bottom covered with epoxy and no fiberglass ? 2. is it normal to
: have only 2 bulkheads in a 15'6" that are made of styrofoam
: ? Its a beautiful boat that was won in a raffle, are some boats
: made for more of and art respect that for actual use ?

Nope, no glass on the outside is definitely NOT normal, at least not unless your intent is to just hang it on a wall as a work of art.

Unless there is glass both inside and out, the boat is not useful in the water. The strength of a stripper comes from the glass skins on the two opposite surfaces of the strip assembly. Basically, the strips act as structural spacers for the main load bearing components, the two composite skins. It sounds possible that there is no glass on the inside either. Bottom line, if you like the boat and want to paddle it, you need to add glass. Before you do that, you need to confirm with certainty that the finish(es) are epoxy, not just varnish. Applying glass after the bare wood has been varnished would be difficult and tricky. If you need to glass the inside, the bulkheads will have to come out first.

Good luck,

Allan Edie

Two bulkheads, one forward and one aft of the cockpit is the normal configuration. As long as they don't leak, styrofoam would work fine.