: I'm not overly fond of contact cement as a replacement for wood glue as I
: don't believe it makes as strong a bond. However, if it is stong enough to
: hold the strips in place until you can get the first layer of glass cloth
: on, then go for it. The real strength in holding the strips together comes
: from the bond of the epoxy or polyester resin on the broad, flat sides of
: the strips.

: Problems I would worry about would be: 1) the need to fit the strip perfectly
: before coating it with the contact cement. Put a few alignment marks on
: the strips with a pencil os you cna get the things to go on in the right
: place. Once the contact cement grips, it is not very easy to shift the
: strip for later adjustment.

: 2) you need to coat both the new strip edge, and the edge of the previously
: installed strip with an even coat of contact cement. This can be messy, so
: do it carefully with a small glue brush, or you may have to sand off a lot
: of dripped contact cement.

: 3) highly twisted strips are bent into place with some effort. If the contact
: cement fails it will be in these stressed joints. Judicious use of a brad
: or staple can reinforce things until additional rows of strips are
: installed, which will (hopefully) provide some backing and aid in keeping
: the strips aligned and intact. You could also use narrower strips, which
: would be easier to bend into complex curves.

: PGJ

Thanks for the responses. If I do decide to build a kayak I will try putting on a few strips with contact cement and if it doesn't work too well I will just rip them off and use epoxy.

John