: I am trying to complete one of Nick's Microbootlegger kayaks, my
: first strip build. Hull and deck are stripped up and off the
: forms. I have been procrastinating due to mild anxiety about
: fiberglassing the thing, and now I am running out of warm summer
: weather to complete it. I built the boat using the rolling bevel
: technique, and that produce a good-looking exterior surface, but
: not a uniformly perfect looking interior. My plan is to fair the
: interior by filling gaps with epoxy thickened with phenolic
: microballoons, level everything adequately, fiberglass, and
: paint the area visible through the cockpit opening. the outer
: surface of the boat will be finished bright.

: My question: leaving cosmetic concerns aside, just how smooth and
: flawless does the interior surface need to be in order to
: properly apply the fiberglass? Over much of the interior, it
: will, of course, not be seen by anyone, so just how obsessive do
: I need to be for a structurally and functionally satisfactory
: result?

: Thanks for your indulgence with this beginners question.

Hi Bob,I would fair and sand as far as your patience will allow, too course and bumpy will snag the glass and leave air bubbles which are a pain. second I fill all the little gaps with slivers of wood,when you arrive at the launch site you will encounter what Nick calls the"parking lot syndrome" people always poke their head into the cockpit and on a
sunny day gaps filled with epoxy will allow light to show through and look odd.Third-hope you glassed the hull and deck before removing from forms and braced with spacers, when the boat is off the forms it can take on some strange shapes which can give you trouble when marring deck to hull. Enjoy your build Nick R.