Fiberglassing the inside hull and sanding the deck - Kayak

[arudson]

Fiber glassing the inside of the hull - The Kayakcraft DVD shows the fiberglass cloth being layed up in section. The book speaks to a long section a bit shorter than the length of the hull and some tricky work around the stems. What is the best and easiest way.

Sanding the deck – Would it be better to sand the top of the deck before cutting and working on the cockpit openings and hatches?

Guidance greatly appreciated.

[Gene Burreson]

I have always used a single piece of cloth cut short of the hull length--about to where the stem starts to turn vertical. You want glass on the sides of the inner stem, but not on the top.

I would sand the deck before cutting the openings. It is just easier to do it then, and you can mark the openings with a pencil after sanding. If you don't sand, you have to apply masking tape and mark on that with a pen. Pen or pencil won't mark on glossy epoxy.

Gene

[Rod Tait]

I have not viewed the DVD but I would suggest one long piece for inside your hull. If you are able to lay your glass sligthtly on an angle, it will conform better to the curves. To fit in the stem area fold the glass as best you can into the ends and then cut the glass along the stem with a very sharp utility knife (box cutter). Then fold the two ends over each other and cut again down the center of the stem. I would not recomend having the glass come up the sides of the inner stem but as close as possible to it or you can fill in around the stem with epoxy and filler to create a nice fillet transition from hull to stem. You can also reduce the thickness of the stem in the bottom of the hull to ease the transition. Most likely no one will see this area once the deck is on.

Also, I highly recommend sanding and fiberglassing any kayak deck inside and out before cutting any holes to prevent warpage.

You can find additional info on fiberglassing on my web site on the How To pages.