With the inside of the hull epoxied, we can now turn it over and start cutting the wires off. After you cut them, go back and sand or file off the sharp points.
Now go around and inspect the seams. You will find some area's that need filling and some that need planing. I recommend that you fill first and then plane and sand the seams smooth.
I built up the bow and stern with a bead of thickend epoxy, about 3/8" high, then sanded it smooth.
The hard edges at the chine should be rounded to about a 3/8th" radius as the cloth you are going to put on likes rounded edges better than sharp ones. After all the filling, planing and sanding you should have a smooth bottom to cover.
Since this boat is going to have a rudder installed, I needed to cut of a bit of the stern and fill the rear with epoxy for the rudder spindle.
First I cut off 2.75" of the stern and then cleaned up the edges.
Next I cut a piece of 1/8" plywood to fit inside of the hull approx. 4" from the stern ( I scarfed the edges of this piece and it was easy to tap into place, needing no other anchor to hold it ). This formed a nice dam to hold the epoxy in place.
Then I wrapped a piece of scrap plywood with waxed paper and strapped it across the stern, covering the hole there.
I then mixed up a large batch of thickened epoxy and filled it up. After it cured, I removed the plywood and waxed paper from the end. Just a little sanding left it nice and smooth.
To cover the bottom, first lay the fiberglass cloth over the bottom, being careful not to snag it on any sharp edge ( I snagged mine twice ). Carefully smooth out the wrinkles and make sure that the cloth hangs over the edges of the hull all the way around.
Now mix up about a pint of epoxy and start wetting the cloth in the center of the hull. You will find that the cloth will move very easily when wet, so be careful not to let it shift too much to one side. I used a foam brush to apply the epoxy and a 4" plastic putty knife to work the epoxy through the cloth and move any air bubbles out. If you get a wrinkle in the cloth, gently pull the dry end of the cloth until the wrinkle goes away. I worked a 2 foot area to start, doing both sides before moving on. Then I did another 2' forward, then 2' back until it was all wet. ( Mix more epoxy as needed. ) I had to slit the cloth at the stern where I had cut and filled for the rudder. Just overlap the cloth and wet it down. At the bow I just stretched it a little and it conformed to the curve perfectly!
Now wait until it tacks up and then come back and apply another coat of epoxy with a brush or foam roller.
The instructions called for this to be the end, but I applied 3 more thin coats of epoxy to the bottom just to make sure the cloth weave was filled.
Before the epoxy cures, you can easily trim the excess cloth from the sheer clamp with a razor blade.