> Has anyone used tight wovensmooth glass? I am looking at using either the
> 3.25 oz. tight wovensmooth glass or 3.75 oz. open weave glass from RAKA. I
> plan to go with two layers over 1/8" plywood. I've heard that the
> tight wovensmooth glass doesn't wet out as well and is harder to form. It
> is also supposed to be stronger and use less resin (read higher strength
> to weight ratio). Is it worth going this route? It is a hard chined kayak
> so there would be some shart corners to go around. The tight wovensmooth
> glass comes in a 60" width which should coat my hull twice. Dollar,
> strength, and weight wise it seems like the way to go, but would I have
> problems wetting it out and getting it to lay flat? My previous glassing
> has been with 6 oz. open weave.

> Mike

Hi Mike:

I have used glass like that. I encased my Guillemot Expedition Single in 8.9oz satin weave. I looked at RAKA's site, and I think this is the same stuff you're talking about.

Some non-ordered observations about my experiences...

** The glass is beautifully smooth dry and I smoothed it with a dry brush before wetting it out. I think this helped a lot.

** On the hull, from sheer to sheer, I used two layers and wet them out at the same time, from the outside. It was slow going, lots of glass, slow to penetrate, but I was patient, and it came out beautifully. Of course, since it was my first fiberglassing experience, I had nothing to compare it to, for speed, ease of use, wetting out properties, etc.

** It does take some care to wet out thoroughly. I used a grooved roller on the flat sections, worked great. I later learned that an ice pick could be used to ease the fibers apart sufficiently to allow the air to escape and the epoxy to flow in, thus eliminating many bubbles.

** 8.9oz glass is on the heavy side, I have since learned. If you were using lighter weight glass, I imagine it would take less epoxy to wet out, and probably less trouble.

** I didn't have any trouble getting the glass to follow the contours of the boat anywhere except in two areas. The very tip of the bow and stern and around the very tight radii of the coaming. I feel lighter weight glass would have been easier to manage in these two areas, just a guess, though.

** I have seen no evidence of any adhesion problems. I did get the glass thoroughly wet, down to the wood. Where I could, I did wet the wood first, and apply the dry glass to the wet wood and then finish applying the epoxy from the outside. This did make the wetting out process much nicer.

** I cut my cloth so that it laid along the centerline on the bias. I let the glass sit on the wood overnight. I think this let the glass form to the shape easier.

I would use this weave again, it gives a nice finish, looks and feels strong. I probably would not go this heavy, probably lighter.

I'd be happy to discuss any other specific details if you like. By the way, I think we're neighbors. I'd love to show off the boat in person, if you like. I've got a sample of the cloth you can have too. Email me.

Ed Valley