Hull sanding and deck glassing

The deck has been attached to my Chesapeake build and I'm about to lay down the fiberglass.

Is it better to sand the hull first and to what degree of smoothness before glassing the deck or does it not make a difference?

I did a quick forum search to no avail and the instruction book isn't clear on this.


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RE: Hull sanding and deck glassing

you can do it either way.

my personal preference, however,  is to sand the hull first to 100/120 gritt and ensure i have the rounded over the deck/hull joint. before glassing the deck.

the reason for this preference, is that i can expose any gaps/crevasses in the deck/hull joint and address them prior to glassing the deck (which will go over the deck, and down the sides about an inch or so).

i just find this approach reduces the number of epoxy sessions i end up having.

h   

RE: Hull sanding and deck glassing

 Thanks, hspira.

I've trimmed the excess deck and rounded the deck/hull joint. I did notice crevices in the joint even after inverting the kayak durning the joining phase to allow epoxy to fill the joint area. I've fixed those issues but I was curious if the end result would look better with the hull sanded before glassing the top or if matters little.

RE: Hull sanding and deck glassing

  As Howard says, you can do it either way.  I tend to wait until after the deck is glassed before sanding the hull because I sometimes get runs/drips on the hull while glassing the deck.  Again as Howard says, you must sand the hull/deck joint smooth before glassing the deck.  While doing that, I also sand down a few inches below the seam so the the deck glass can better bond to the sides of the hull.

It is not in the Chesapeake manual, but have you seen the trick to getting a nice straight edge where the deck glass overlaps the hull?  

1.  Mask the hull about 2-3" below the hull deck seem.

2.  Wet out the glass down to and slightly over the masking tape.  Watch for runs.

3.  Once the epoxy has mostly cure but is still a little green, carfully cut the deck glass along the top of the tape line.

RE: Hull sanding and deck glassing

  Thanks, Mark.

I'll sand more today outside and then glass tomorrow inside as it's supposed to storm here for the rest of the week starting tomorrow night.

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