: Thanks Dave,
: you can check some of the constructions pics at
: http://www.spiralmedia.co.za/Kayak/Kayak.htm

: I'm in South Africa and a lot of the wood types most people on this forum use
: are not available here. The hull is made from "Maranti" while
: the deck is made from Africa Teak and Ash. The Teak is extremely hard but
: has a lovely finish when polished.

: Do you suggest I use wood filler or epoxy to do the filling of the gaps?
: How long does it generally take you to sand a boat before glassing?

: Adrian.

Now I'm a little confused. the first post said ridges, now you say gaps. All the strips should be planed down to the same level. Is that what you meant by ridges? I primarily use a spoke shave to knock down the ridges between strips, and finish up with a block plane ... go easy on the cutting depth and go the right direction! It'll take you forever and you won't do as good a job if try to do all this with just sanding.

It's hard to judge time in sanding because I sand some, find some inperfections, plane some, sand some more ... . Also most of us are dealing with cedar which is very soft. I probably spent a good week fairing and sanding the bottom of my canoe. I'm also anal-retentive! :-)

If there are any gaps in between the glue joints, they should be filled. How you fill them is up to you. If there is a big gap, you could fill with wood so it will be less noticeable.

Thanks for sharing your pics!