I thought I was sooooo prepared going into this thing. I did so much research, reading, etc. The reality is that it's much slower going than I realized. Yet, spirits remain high. It’s pouring rain outside. What better weather than to build a boat in?

I just epoxied the inside of the butt seams on my Osprey Triple. Next, I turn the panels over and do the outside of 'em. I prepared carefully, followed the instructions, read my horoscope. I even got the special wooden-kayak builder’s aromatherapy kit out and working. Well, 24-ish hours later I removed the bricks and mylar to find several joints coated perfectly, while others have small ‘dishes’, gaps, and air spaces under saturated glass! What gives?! I suppose some were from air bubbles I didn’t evacuate before laying the mylar down. I’m working in a temp controlled shop so I know rising temps is not an issue. Could the wood have absorbed THAT much epoxy? Oh, and I used warm epoxy, about 80 degrees F. Granted, these imperfections are small and not structural. I’ll drill tiny holes in the glass to fill the hollow areas under them. However, I want to make sure these things don’t appear when I do the outside of the butt seams!

I really thought I was being careful!

Second question, to what extent are you supposed to smooth the epoxy on those butt seams? Should I just knock the edges off? Or should I smoooooooooooooth it out with sharp carbide scraper and sand paper so it ‘feathers’ into the wood, all pretty ‘n all, like I’m building a coffee table?

Thank you!

Kevin -- Anchored, down in Anchorage, Alaska