Well I just bought another canoe  

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

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


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 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 to view media files and links) 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.   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.

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

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?