I have an Arctic Hawk kit and am finally getting around to starting the build after several years. I was wondering if it was possible to apply a stain to the wood before fiberglassing; just thought it would be neat to have a varnished kayak that was a somewhat darker color than you would get otherwise.

Anybody done this before? Would staining beforehand inhibit the ability of the wood to absorb epoxy? Any other reason this is a bad idea?

Thanks in advance!