Hi there, just enquiring about any experiences people have of using different materials from standard fibreglass to protect their kayaks and canoes.

Having read many articles about pros and cons of different materials, from S-glass to diolene and aramid mixes as with all things there are good and bad properties. On the recent Tattoo build I decided to try S-Glass for the following reasons: price (reasonable), weight and wet out (same as E-Glass) and strength (approx. 30-40 stronger than E-glass).

I found the cloth more rigid in its cloth state, but exceptionally easy to manipulate and form around corners. So much so, that I would say it is easier to use than E-Glass. However other things are becoming apparent. It does not wet out as opaque as E-Glass (I knew this), but also if you sand harshly on edges to feather them on joins after initial wet out, the S-Glass will not turn opaque as much again and can leave quite obvious 'whitening' of the material.

The above again becomes very apparent when you get a person testing your kayak decide to surf it a good distance down a completely dry steep stone beach to have a 'fun' launch. The S-Glass performed well and the deeper scratches were white where the stones had abraded the S-Glass. However again when you 'tidy' up the marks with a coat of varnish then again the marks do not become opaque again like I would expect E-Glass to.

Interested to hear from anyone who has used other fabrics and what people think about whether it is worth it or not. I am now considering an E-glass base fabric covered by a Diolen/aramid mix over the top. Or do I just use double E-glass? Opinions welcome.

Finally my favourite product at this moment is a 'high build' epoxy varnish - Timberseal CV by Reactive Resins. You can start finishing earlier due to high build. Two coats are great, has UV protection and it is HARD, really hard. You can then add extra UV protection / lustre finish if required with normal varnish, or not. I am currently trying it without : - http://www.reactiveresins.com/timberseal-cv.html