I didn't have any application problems when I built my first kayak, a Pygmy Arctic Tern. I used a sealer coat. But on my maiden voyage in a small lake I dragged bottom over a submerged stump. Actually, I parked myself on top and had to shimmy a bit to get off. It created a zig-zag scar on the hull where the cloth separated from the wood. You can see the weave of the cloth very plainly, almost like it had never been wet out. I think had I applied without the sealer coat, I'd have had better adhesion. Other than that one incident, though, the boat has held up well, even with a few rocky beach landings.

Dean