Well I just bought another canoe  ;D

It is a cedar strip solo, smaller than the one I built... in need of some TLC

It looks to me like whoever built it did a gelcoat type finish on the outside, after I do a few minor repairs on the hull (just a couple chips here & there no major abuse) I would like to paint it, but don't know what to use.

I will redo the gunnels twarts, decks & seat & it will be a really nice canoe for my kids to learn in. the inside hull still shows the cedar stripping but the outside I will need to paint.

Any suggestions on what kind of paint works well?

I think I will have to sell a couple canoes... running out of room... LOL I now have 6 in the fleet.

Troy

How about epoxy with pigment. I've been thinking about trying that on my next boat. Do you know if it was glassed with epoxy?

jimmar wrote on Jun 27^th, 2009 at 5:23pm:

How about epoxy with pigment. I've been thinking about trying that on my next boat. Do you know if it was glassed with epoxy?

Really cant tell what it was coated with...looks like a gelcoat.

I will fill a couple of chips with epoxy & install rock gaurds on bow & stern, but it structurally don't need to get a full coat of epoxy, so i would hate to add the weight.

Thinking of a coat of paint of outer hull & a couple good coats of spar varnish inside.

I just don't know what kind of paint to get? Base coat  / clear coat....just a good marine paint... or just use any auto paint & put a coat of spar varnish over that? ? ? ?

I figured somone has had to repair & paint their canoe before, what has worked on Roylex or fiberglass?

I guess I don't altogether understand why anyone would want to paint a stripper. (DOOOH keep your mind right ;) ) Got any pictures? Do you mean rockgards like the brass strips?

I thought gelcoat was a catchall term for either pigmented epoxy or poly. Paint would add weight too. Varnishing the paint seems overkill, same as a rear skidplate IMO. I believe gelcoat is considered sacrificial because the color goes throughout so a scratch is less visible and the pigment provides UV protection.

Just an FYI on the inside.   (You need to Login or Register has paint (I assume) on the floor. I expect it serves two purposes. First, paint provides UV protection but what I like is, it also has a a slight amount of grit added to it so it's not as slippery as the weave alone.

Hey BTW, see anything familiar in that photograph? I think that was you that gave them to me at Copia one year.  [smiley=thumbup.gif] That's the best (ok, only) use I've ever found for them but they do work really well. Their stretch makes them much more convenient than the velcro they replaced.

db,

I really don't know why anyone would paint a stripper either, but they did & the guy I bought it from had sanded on the hull with intent of refinishing it, but never did.

By skid plates I mean just a piece of fiberglass & epoxy to repair the leading & trailing edges where they have a couple chips & some exposed wood.

Glad to see you found a use for the Bungee Dealee Bobs or whatever. I use them to close the liner bags inside my packs, way faster than twisty-ties & easier to find when dropped.

I will post a picture when I get home from work today.

Troy

Here is what the outside hull looks like...it was sanded on by last owner but never finished.
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Inside hull in great shape, I will redo gunnels & seat
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The only real repair to hull required are the bow & stern ends... this is the worst part
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Should end up a pretty nice solo, I think it is a Merlin II possibly.

Troy

Woods_Walker wrote on Jun 28^th, 2009 at 12:21pm:

db, I really don't know why anyone would paint a stripper either, but they did & the guy I bought it from had sanded on the hull with intent of refinishing it, but never did.

I once worked for a restoration company that did insurance repair/rebuilds after fires etc. Sometimes we would have to gut a room down to the stud wall. I can't tell you the number of times we ripped out Oak Flooring or door/window trim that the homeowner had PAINTED because they said they were tired of maintaining the wood finish :-?
I know once we got the dumpster back to the shop, a lot of that wood mysteriously disappeared ;)
 I have too think something similar happened to that stripper?

Looks like a red gel coat,,,,then a black paint or graphite powder tinted epoxy coat on top,,,then a sanding.

Most scratches in gel coat will look white or whiter than the unscratched finish color. That's one good reason to get a white gel coat as your color. Scratches don't show.

Do any areas feel like the gel coat is blistered? Is there still solid contact between the layers?

wrote on Jun 29^th, 2009 at 12:04am:

Looks like a red gel coat,,,,then a black paint or graphite powder tinted epoxy coat on top,,,then a sanding. Most scratches in gel coat will look white or whiter than the unscratched finish color. That's one good reason to get a white gel coat as your color. Scratches don't show. Do any areas feel like the gel coat is blistered? Is there still solid contact between the layers?

The very 1st layer actually looks yellow, then red, then black.... the red & black are a paint I'm sure, but the base may be yellow, the deeper scratches it has do show up white.

All the layers seem solid it does have some cracks at the bow & stern where the bigger chips happened, but I'm sure I can repair them with out any issues.

Why people do the things they do, will always be a mystery to me. I don't expect it to be like new, but want it to look respectable. It will be a perfect solo for my kids to learn in.

Hoz on the CCBB said to use a Topside Marine Enamel, now I will have to see what colors they have. I will leave the inside unpainted so the cedar strips still show through.

I wonder if it is a mold boat....the boat that they used to make the mold to make the laminated boats... :-?

Interlux makes a two part epoxy varnish w/ UV and colors too, never used it....going to give it a try on the paddles. Beware spar stays very soft for a long time-your knees maybe sticking for a long time :o

Hoz  ;D ;D ;D

Don't listen to him.

Just kidding. He does get around. Pretty entertaining guy to paddle with. Lots of stories.