Sanding epoxy ‘stains’ before fiberglass

This little Auk is generating a lot of questions on my part…

I’m getting ready to fiberglass the hull and I found a few small cracks between strips and some pinholes that were unfilled. I made a small batch of epoxy with wood dust and filled them in. Around these fills the epoxy soaked into the wood, so there are darker areas around these repairs. I sanded everything smooth but the epoxy went deeper. These will (should) disappear when I put on the fiberglass and epoxy right? I’d hate to have to sand these areas back down to bare wood.

A related question: does every pinhole and tiny crack need to be filled? I imagine the epoxy will soak into them and fill them, though I suppose they might be source of air bubbles.

Yes, the epoxy from putting on the glass will make the currently bare wood match the color of the wood that absorbed epoxy from your patches.

Yes, the glassing process will fill in pinholes and small cracks. Larger defects have to be filled by hand.

You’re doing well, hang in there.

Laszlo