Filling gaps in SWHB17

Posted by Mike on Apr 10, 2007

Howdy fellers,

I am slowly approaching completion of the deck on my skiff and have a few questions about wood fillers. I have read in several books,as well as this forum, that one should use epoxy thickened with wood flour to fill the gaps between the strips. Last night I was reading in another book to use just plain old wood filler. The reason being (and I agree) is that the epoxy dries to a rock hard consistency. Sanding the epoxy, right next to the soft cedar can cause an unfair surface. Not to mention, the epoxy prestains the wood before the application of the glass. While wood filler is softer and easier to sand when dry, not to mention nicer to work with. Since the whole thing is sandwiched in glass, I don't see the reason for using the epoxy and am leaning towards the filler. There are of course, compatibility issues to consider with the epoxy and wood filler, but the book I am reading right (Ocean Kayaks) now is specific in the type of filler.

My question is, does anyone have any comments or experience on this?

Thanks! - Oh yeah..here's a pic of what I have so far!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e47/19283/Boat136.jpg

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