iconicflux wrote:..............
How hard is doing your own fiberglass? Is it roughly the same difficulty as PMF?
It depends. If you are going to paint or otherwise cover it, it's not bad. Drips, runs, sags can be sanded smooth and recoated with epoxy. If a spot is starved of epoxy it will always show but who cares if you plan to paint. So you can get a decent result your first try. It might just take more time and materials than if you had more experience. Lots of videos to show how it's done.
If you want a clear finish, then you should definitely practice first. The choice of epoxy, cloth and how you apply it will make a difference in how clear your final result is. It's a good idea to practice on some shelves or a tongue box. The most important part is not working air bubbles into the epoxy during mixing or application. That will leave a cloudy appearance. If you get a drip or run you can sand and recoat but it will show. Someone else may not notice it but you'll know it's there. I've built 11 wooden boats with a clear finish and my last is noticeably better than my first so there is a learning curve if you want truly perfect results.
All of the foregoing remarks assume a wooden teardrop. Even though I have around 30 years experience with epoxy/glass I chose to cover my foamie with canvas. Three main reasons: The foam you buy is not perfectly smooth. In particular, the lettering is stamped on and can telegraph through unless sanded off. It's difficult to sand a large surface with hand held sanders if you want it truly flat. It's bad enough with canvas but it will be less noticeable. Second, sanding something hard like epoxy over a soft substrate like foam is more difficult if you do get a run or sag. So if surface appearance is a priority, I'd recommend glass over wood especially on your first large epoxy/glass project. Lastly, canvas covered foam really is self repairing. Small dents will fix themselves over a few days in the sun. More serious dents can be healed with the judicious application of steam.
Several builds have used glass over foam and have come out great. I just think foam and canvas compliment each other in terms of each materials' characteristics.