A Call Back to Reality from Fred

I think the concerns about pre-tensioning your panels before final assembly, while not entirely irrelevant, might be a bit academic for a project of this nature. I think your focus should be the basic construction of the vessel--unclouded by the complicated considerations of idiosyncratic resin properties, the differing strength and flex patterns of various weaves and weights of fibreglass cloth, and the inherent variables of composite materials engineering applied to compound curves and fluid dynamics--eased, perhaps occasionally, with a lowball of Connemara Irish Single Malt.

To be blunt: build the wooden boat, then glass it. Enjoy the handmade process--the feel and shape of the wood as it becomes the essence of your boat--before you move on to the synthetic wrapper. And when you are ready for that final phase, remember that fibreglass and epoxy resin, augmented with assorted thickeners and enhancers, can adequately address any and all perceived deficiencies, aesthetic and otherwise.