I used the term "rupture" in the following response; this is incorrect ,I meant failure of the glass/epoxy bond
>

> The white specks were definitely caused by the compression of
> the glass/epoxy matrix just aft of the rear hatch. The deck on this
> kayak is rounded and as the vacuum pressure increased and the deck
> began to collapse, the fibers were placed in compression. The weakest
> points in the glass/epoxy matrix under compression are those points
> where the strands take their sharpest bend -- at the intersection
> of the weft and the wane, and it is here where failure will first
> occur. The checkerboard pattern of the ruptured and raised glass fibers
> corresponds to this intersection; in fact, it is the outermost fiber
> that failed first because it is actually experiencing more stress
> than the inner fiber. The inner fiber would have to fail by rupturing
> inwards or towards the hull; this is not as likely to happen because
> the wood helps to buttress the fiber, thereby reducing its’ tendency
> to fail -- the epoxy would more likely pull away from the wood before
> this inner fiber ruptured. What do you say -- have at me gentlemen!
>