Hi Spidey - One caution on sanding before glassing: if you have done any epoxy/wood flour filling of gaps and cracks, make double sure you have faired the fill completely, especially sanding off the stain around the fill. You would expect that the area stained with epoxy would blend with the wet out coat, but if you leave the stain, it will show. What I do is put on the filler, let it cure to the green stage, then use a cabinet scraper to remove most of the excess. I then RO sand (120 grit) to remove the stain, which also finishes the fairing of the filled gap.

When I built my double paddle for the Wee Lassie II, I edged the cedar blades with thin ash strips, which was an exercise in creative clamping. I had some small gaps, which I filled with thickened epoxy and cedar dust. I didn't completely remove the stain, and the finished paddle has lighter colored areas where the stain remained.

As for sanding before glass, I wet the 120 grit sanded hull with a damp sponge and let it dry overnight. Then I knock off the fuzzies with 220 grit lightly with the RO. Then I lay the glass and wet out with no precoat. Works for me.

One other thing - DON'T GET ANY EPOXY ON YOUR SKIN!! I learned the hard way - I itch like mad whenever I get a tiny bit on my fingers, even though I use gloves. I apparently became sensitized a year or so ago when I built my first boat.

Have fun, but be careful. - John