: I have a few simple questions about filling the hull with dookie schmutz, and
: would greatly appreciate hearing what seems to work best. I have searched
: the archives and read much on this, but still have a few questions.

: 1. After sanding with the ROS, I feel pretty good about most of the strips
: flowing relatively seamlessly into each other. However, I do have a bunch
: of spots where there is a slight separation between the strips (a tad
: wider than an exacto blade). Should I just ignore that and assume that the
: epoxy will fill it?

: 2. For those seams that are a tad wider, is it best to cover with dookie
: schmutz then plane....then sand? Am thinking that if I just sand the
: difference between the epoxy fill and wood surface will create an uneven
: surface?

: btw.... I plan to seal the surface with epoxy prior to glassing.

: I know these are REAL basic questions. Any related thoughts/suggestions would
: be GREATED appreciated.
: Many thanks...
: Bob

Hi Bob,

I do this a few different ways depending on the situation.

For big cracks between strips I'll take the time to cut a sliver of a strip to match and glue it in, don't worry about it being flush, easy to plane/sand to get it flush.

For tiny cracks I use water based wood putty, found some at Home Depot that works great 'cept I'm at work and it's at home, I'll look up the brand name tomorrrow.

Inside the boat to get everything flat I use West epoxy's ultralight filler, MUCH easier to sand smooth and a heck of alot lighter (weight wise) than any other filler I've found.

I like Rob Mack's idea about making a test panel, good idea

Bill H.