: I am planning on buying a Solace 16xl kit and need and am wondering if this
: boat will be an alright beginning paddler boat. Also, I was also wondering
: if they glass the deck at all (inside/outside)and if its recommended. Does
: the glassing take away from the smoothness of the shine.

Hi, Donnie

The Solace you are inquiring about is an excellent beginners boat. It has excellent primary and secondary stability, which means it won't be too tippy. It is a fast boat, which means that it will be easier to paddle.

It is recommended that you glass both inside and outside for the best strength This kind of glassing is very common and will not affect the final appearance. I've built two Waters Dancing boats with glass inside and out and the final appearance is clear and free of any distortions of glassing. Bear one thing in mind, Donnie, how good the boat looks depends on how closely you follow instructions. It is possible to make errors and end up with the glass showing through. This can be corrected but it is a royal pain. The final smoothness and shine comes from sanding the finish to remove all blemishes and bumps using successively finer sand paper then a final finishing coat of varnish. It can be as smooth and shiney as a new penny or rough and bumpy as an old toads butt, that is your choice depending on how much work you want to put into this project.

If you go ahead with this project, please feel free to either ask me or any other of the fine folks here at the GBBS or email me.

Good luck.

Robert N Pruden