new territory for me... all assistance appreciated

from some of the projects I've seen written about on here (I'm relatively new to these forums) first, I must say that I'm impressed by some of the work I've seen.

As for my project... from what I've seen, my project is incredibly small in comparison.

What I'm in the process of building is what most would refer to as a "Sit-on-top" (SOT) kayak... though I've only seen one (so far) commercially made SOT that even closely resembles (at least in hull shape) what I've come up with, though they're different enough to know they're different just by looking. LOL

my method of construction more closely resembles that of a surfboard than that of a traditional boat, in that I'm shaping the entire thing out of EPS, then plan to lay epoxy/glass over it.

I don't have photos yet of MY project, though to get an idea, my design is similar to (as mentioned above) this one...
and the hull design looks a bit like this... though mine has quite a bit more distinct "Tri-maran" look to it.

I'm almost done shaping the hull, and am ready to flip the core over and start working on the inside... as I progress with that shaping, I will be ordering my epoxy/glass materials.

the EPS will stay in place (as I mentioned, similar to surf board construction)...
the dimensions of MY boat differ a bit from the Bic linked above... 14' long, 30" overall width... tapering to what I'm estimating should be around 22" width at the waterline.

now that you know that info, my question(s) is (are):
how many plies (and at what weight) should I lay on the hull? and the deck/inside?
When I've worked with glass in the past, it didn't matter... but for the case of my project, will it make a difference (major or minor) if I lay each ply as a continuous sheet? or can I safely piece together?
seeing as the EPS is staying in place within the layup, should I first coat with a slurry mix of microspheres to fill the pores? or will a tacky prime coat suffice?

lastly, I had an idea pop into my head that I'd like to run past you all....
I was thinking as far as my colors... rather than top coat with a paint... after all my glass plies are layed out, could I use some sort of fabric (rayon, dacron, polyester, cotton, natural silk) as sort of a "color layer" layed as if it were just another ply of glass? (not replacing a glass ply with a fashion fabric... but on top of it all) then coat with 2 coatings of epoxy as sort of a "clear coat"... I understand about the UV instability of resins, but I figure with protective storage (no UV exposure when not in use) it shouldn't be much (if any) higher maintenance than a marine paint job. Basically, is there a fashion fabric material that will wet out and that the epoxy will bond to sufficiently?

Thanks for allowing the above ramble. I appreciate all input.

 

anybody?? beuller?

anyway... got the hull side just about done... just a little more work with the fine cheese grater (surform plane) and then a light touch with the 60 grit paper to smooth things out. Weather permitting, I'll have the hull side completely shaped by the end of the weekend. Then I'll be flipping it over to begin the topside buildup and shaping.

Here are some pics I snapped this afternoon just as the rain ended my day earlier than I had planned.

http://home.nycap.rr.com/seanb/foamyak

knowing what I posted above, and now seeing pictures of the bottom half... anyone have any input regarding my questions?

Thanks

 

ok, an addendum (or modification) to my question above...

as for cloth weight, I will be using 10 oz. plain weave E-glass... I couldn't beat the price at just over a buck a running yard for a 50" wide roll

given the fact that I will be using 10 oz weave... how many layers top and bottom should I use? I know most small craft builders use 6 oz, but like I said above, I couldn't beat the price. I don't want it to be too heavy to put on my car, yet I don't want to regret making it too thin either.

Thanks.