: Hello all.
: I'm fixing to glass the top of my deck here shortly.. Have planed
: and sanded 80, 120, 240 and seem to be smooth as silk :)
: This is my first time with these boats or anything like this, so
: obviously there's a few very small gaps here and there, a few
: staple holes, etc.. Cosmetically I'm not so worried about them
: this time around, I'm the only one who will notice and I can
: live with it... but.

: Do you pro's recommend a fill coat of epoxy before laying the
: glass? Especially for a noobie who probably has more air
: trapping spots than he thinks he does. And one who has never
: really worked with epoxy. I guess I'm more worried about trapped
: air pockets that will bite me later than anything else.

: P.S.
: I finally bit the bullet and ordered 25 yards of 44" wide 6oz
: glass and 3 gallons of Ecopoxy (2 gal. resin, 1 gal of clear
: hardener)...
: Yes, I said it, Ecopoxy.. After going back and forth with what
: brand to use I just did it dang it, no looking back! Mostly at
: the prodding of my wife who is on the "if it says eco, it
: must be better" band wagon... me not so much. Hopefully
: this wasn't a big mistake :/ I've read nothing bad about it
: (minus customer service) and only good from the very few people
: on the internet I could find that have actually used it.. Of
: course I'll will still follow all the safety stuff as if I were
: using any other epoxy. Figured this whole project was an
: experiment to begin with so why not keep it that way right?
: Although it's kind of an obsession now ;)

: I did make a hollow shafted canoe paddle with leftover wood scraps
: I'm going to practice on before going balls out with the stuff
: on my deck.

It's not really a fill coat (that's added after the glass has been put on to "fill" the weave), it's a seal coat, "seals" the surface so that the wood can't draw in too much resin in spots causing a dry spot. I think it's a good idea, also eliminates the chance of the wood outgassing thru the new glass if you get the temperature wrong.

Bill H.