I generally slop a fat wet towel on the hull and drag it from one end to the other.
Does great for closing staple holes..the holes will still be closed even after that final sanding before epoxy.

No it does'nt cloud the finish..just make sure the wood has dried.

Clouding? make sure the epoxy isn't whipped to a frothy bubbly mess, should be ok.

Don't be afraid to wet the wood it really does good.

: I seem to remember reading something about giving the deck &
: hull a wipedown with a water-dampened cloth prior to applying
: epoxy in order to reduce the size and constrast of staples
: holes. The moisture is supposed to swell the wood and make the
: holes smaller - almost invisible. Epoxy is then applied, locking
: in the smaller staple holes forever. I am about to epoxy
: pre-coat my deck, but wonder if adding moisture to the wood with
: this technique won't end up clouding my finish. Am I mistaken?
: Is this a simple fix to staple holes that works? Is there a
: certain procedure that needs to be followed in order to avoid
: clouding? Is moistening the surface a bad idea that WILL cloud
: my finish? I'd like to make the holes as unobtrusive as
: possible, but don't want to bother filling them with a batch of
: epoxy goop that means I'll have to sand again.