I am progressing fairly well on restoring the ol Cape Charles 18 "Moose". (She has moose images on the hatch covers.) I have the hatches reinforced with strips that go sheer to sheer. And per LeeG, I added another support halfway between the cockpit bulkhead and the aft hatch. The boat is so much stiffer in those areas now, it's really great. I've cut out and glued on the coaming. 2 days ago I precoated the coaming with epoxy, and last night I put on a layer fiberglass. I tinted the epoxy black (manufacture's pigment). I'm using System Three epoxy. My question is related to the cure time. When I checked on it this morning, it seemed to be not as stiff as I would have expected it to be. It was dry, but still flexible? I think the way I would describe it would be like hard rubber? Does epoxy with pigments take longer to cure?
Next question is how many coats should I put on? I am thinking 3. Do they all need to be tinted? or just go regular after the first (or second)?