Much care must be taken in smoothing out the fiberglass. It is very easy to misshape or snag the fiberglass fibers which can result in a blemish in the final product. We use a wide paintbrush to work out the wrinkles. With some effort, you can get the fiberglass to conform to the ever-changing curves and bevels of the hull.
The fiberglass is then wetted out with epoxy. After it has been saturated, the excess epoxy is squeegeed out.
A second coat of epoxy is applied to fill the weave followed by one or two more coats of epoxy once each prior coat has semi-cured. The final coats of epoxy are applied to build up enough thickness so that the hull can be sanded to its final smooth finish without exposing the fiberglass fibers.
Once the final coats of epoxy have cured, the excess fiberglass is trimmed from the hull. After curing for a day, the canoe will be removed from the forms so we can begin smoothing the interior.
