Grunge Cup

This video shows the process of fiberglassing the inside of a stitch and glue kayak hull after it has been stitched and glued together. Fiberglassing the inside is tricky since gravity works against properly conforming the cloth to all the corners. The key technique is ensuring adequate cloth is worked into every seam so there are no bridges where the cloth gaps across corners. Rather than perfecting each section before moving on, the goal is to quickly get reasonable coverage across all surfaces, then refine problem areas. Excess resin should be removed with a "grunge cup" - a cup with a slit for the squeegee - since excess resin adds weight and reduces strength.

In this episode, I work on a 17-foot high-performance sea kayak, the Petrel, as I prepare to fiberglass it. I detail the meticulous preparation needed for applying the epoxy and discuss the process of fill coating the hull and deck. I also share insights on using different epoxy resins for wetting out the cloth and applying the fill coat.