to paint or not to paint,the hull is the question

even on clc site they show unpainted kayaks.I was thinking of painting to the water line(were the fist joint is, to cover that) and painting the side 3/4 inch up to cover the deck joint and 3/4" on the deck border to cover those nails. Than about 6 inches  in on the prow and stern and carry that dimension on to the deck,because the border  paint will intersect there.If I use this paint scheme,should I varnish the unpainted side wood?

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RE: to paint or not to paint,the hull is the question

Yes, you should varnish unpainted epoxy. The varnish protects it from ultraviolet light which will eventually break it down.

Laszlo

 

RE: to paint or not to paint,the hull is the question

Arlene

I noticed a question you tossed out in the 'spelling' topic. 

Quote..."are you suppose to glass the deck? I didn't do that,but it's not varnish yet so I could still do it. "

The deck should have a layer of glass, along with the hull.  Did you epoxy the deck? 

RE: to paint or not to paint,the hull is the question

Arlene, your "paint scheme" is exactly what I'm thinking of, and a great way to hide the warts but maintain the good looking wood on these boats!  My plan is to put an almost pin-striped effect on the seams, 3/4" or so overlapping each, but leaving the stem, bow, sides and deck clear wood (I'll probably paint the bottom because it's easier).  I'm putting a Zebrawood stem and bow piece on mine, so I'll put the stripe back far enough to allow for the mahogany/zebra contrast....  I'm also forming my coaming of fiberglass (& maybe topping it off with carbon cloth for a very slim (but strong) coaming rim... if the carbon fiber doesn't pan out I'll paint the coaming rim as well).

Post pics when you get your painting done, I'd love to see the result - think it's a good looking idea.

Larry

RE: to paint or not to paint,the hull is the question

MrKIM: yes I did epoxy the deck with 2 coats,so is it to late to fiberglass?

RE: to paint or not to paint,the hull is the question

Lets bump this back to the top.

One option is to sand off what epoxy you put on, then glass.  Best to get some opinions from real experts before we go to all that work.  My best suggestion is for you to call CYC and get some assistance.  Phone # is to the right. 

May I ask if you have a manual to go by? 

 Kim

RE: to paint or not to paint,the hull is the question

I think Kim makes an excellent suggestion: call Chesapeake Light Craft and get some assistance!  It's their design, their product, they've got a lot of experience with these boats, and their builders, and they're very helpful people.

I suggest that you treat some scrap just the way you're thinking of treating your boat, to see how different alternatives you're considering will work out.  Put as many layers of epoxy on a piece of scrap okoume as you've put on your deck, and then experiment with it.  Much less heart-rending -- and much cheaper -- than experimenting on the boat!   ;-) 

One experiemnt I'd suggest trying is to see how laminating the glass on top of the existing epoxy will work.  I'd be reluctaqnt to sand down all the epoxy you've already put on -- it would be tedious work, and in the end you'd find that the plywood of the deck wouldn't aborb fresh epoxy anyway because it was sealed by the first coat.  By the way, epoxy will adhere to existing, cured epoxy. Make sure it's clean (that means no detergent as well as other things), and you might want to rough it up with a medium-grit sandpaper (although some would argue against sanding it at all).

But don't despair about not having glassed your deck.  Some people intentionally forgo the glass, generally to get a lighter boat.  Some recent posts have mentioned examples.  For instance, the LT-17 owner who started the thread entitled "adding hatches to an already completed Chessy LT16" didn't glass the deck, and has been paddling the boat for 10 years.  An un-glassed deck won't be as strong or as puncture resistant, but treated with care should serve.

RE: to paint or not to paint,the hull is the question

For what it's worth, it's not absolutely necessary to glass the deck.  The original CLC designs didn't call for glassing decks, if my memory serves, and it wasn't until the Chesapeake line was designed that it became standard on all their boats.

If you don't  expect a lot of T-rescues and you don't plan to spend a lot of hard time in rough conditions, your boat will most likely be fine without the glass.  If you really feel like you should add the extra protection the glass provides, sand the deck lightly to roughen up the surface and glass right over the epoxy you have on there now.  I epoxied my deck panel while "pre-fitting" it and let it sit for several weeks before I glassed it.  I didn't even bother to sand it again and just glassed right over top.  Never any problems (until I cut the deck off-- it was a bear to remove.)

FrankP

RE: to paint or not to paint,the hull is the question

This may be an obvious question, but did you epoxy both sides of the deck? If not, you could 'glass the other side, even if it is already attached to the hull. But, I agree with others that you may be able to get away with no 'glass at all. Good luck!

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