John,

Because it's not really a simple question. What with all the finishing options and all the individual builders, you have a ridiculous amount of variation, the main one being how many coats are you planning on putting on. There's also how much, if any, of the boat is being painted, what are you doing about the bottom (varnish, epoxy/graphite, paint, etc.)? Are you using rollers, brushes (natural or synthetic bristles or foam) or spraying? What's the temperature? What kind of container will you be brushing/rolling from - wide, narrow, shallow or deep? I'm sure there's a lot more variables.

One big simplifier is that you pretty much have to buy a minimum of a quart. So the question becomes - is a quart enough for what I'm doing?

Assuming that you're doing the bare minimum of 3 coats, that you are no worse at applying it than the average builder and that you are varnishing your entire boat (and don't kick the can over), a quart should cover that with a goodly amount left over.

Have fun,

Laszlo

   I needed a little less than a quart for 6 coats on a 14'-6" Shearwater sport. If you get 2 quarts and don't use the 2nd one you'll be all set when you're ready to finish your next kayak.

   I guess it is more complicated than I thought. I’m planning to varnish the whole boat with minimal accent paint, I’m thinking the coaming May get paint but it depends on how it looks when it’s finish sanded. I plan to use foam brushes. It’s hotter than hell in Florida. I was planning on 5 coats. I’m certainly no better than the average builder :-)

It sounds like I should go with 2 quarts to be safe.

Thanks for the feedback! I hope to be posting finished picture within a month!