Down to the wire.
Down to the wire.
Well I started in April and thought I would have lots of time to finish the canoe before our Algonquin trip now in Aug. I now know this is not enough time to finish a stripper canoe and have fun with it. It has gotten intense as of late. Last night I finished the trim and all I need to do now is varnish. I epoxied the trim and am going to leave that until we get back. I know it needs a full cure before varnishing. The inside and outside of the hull have fully cured and have been sanded ready for varnish. I think I only have time for one coat given we are leaving on Thursday Aug. 19. The Epinfanes is going on tonight and my question is, will it be alright to strap on Thurs. afternoon? Can anyone give me advice and send me off on the maiden voyage with varnish that will not have strap marks in it?
pbrown, I'm afraid your going to see some strap inprint. Last spring I applied 4 coats to the bottom of my Bob, allowed 2 weeks of drying indoors, and still had some inprint. You will probably be adding more coats later so the inprint may cover up. I've been using leather strips under my straps to avoid the problem.
strap inprint
I got a little strap imprint the 1st time I tied down my Prospector. It was about 6 days after the last of the 6 coats of Epifanes. Since then I have used 5 inch wide strips of new soft carpet as padding under the straps. I haven't had any imprint since i strted using the carpet. Make sure that it is new. Any grit will scratch your new baby. I am wondering if new coats of varnish will cover any impint. I had a professioal wooden boat restorer tell me to put mine in the hot sun for a couple days. (no rain, bring in at night) to speed the final curing of the varnish.
Have a great vacation
Have a great vacation
Thanks for the advice. I think the plan of attack will be to put on one coat. There should not be any trapped solvent in one coat that has to cure over time. Then tomorrow I will put it out in the sun until we go. We have a small green house that I can lock it in. It should bake pretty good in there.
Phil
Phil
- Patricks Dad
- Posts: 1476
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
- Location: Warrenville, Illinois
- Patricks Dad
- Posts: 1476
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
- Location: Warrenville, Illinois
I found a quote from MTPocket (in an email he had sent to me awhile ago)....
The above situation involved the final coat rather than the first. This may make a difference but I'm no expert. Just passing along some prior experience..... While applying the final coat of varnish on my yoke, I decided to sit the boat out in the back yard to get some sun and fresh air. I figured this would help the varnish dry quicker. About an hour later, when I checked on it, the varnish had blistered. I remember someone else on this forum doing a test with a heat lamp and having the same results, blisters or bubbles. The varnish certainly couldn't handle the heat from the sun. ...
Putting it in a warm place will speed the cure, but do not put it in direct sunlight or in a place that is going to get over say 90 degrees and you should be fine. Also airflow will help speed the cure. If you put it in the greenhouse, turn on the fan for ventilation. If outside, put it under an open shelter or in the shade.
Bud
Bud
"Canoes don't tip. People just fall out of them!" Omer Stringer
I did not mean to miss lead you about sun light. The advice was given to me in April in North Carolina. And I do recall being told to use this technique after the varnish had dried to touch. It was to get the final 10% of curing finished faster. I agree with limiting the direct sunlight and the temp. in the heat of the summer. Watch humidity also.
I'd go camping and forget the varnish until later in the fall (we're running out of summer).
I was using my kayak for several months before I finally got around to varnishing it. Remember, its a canoe not a piece of furniture. There'll be plenty of time to varnish after paddling season is over. Use it & enjoy.
If you don't like the "sanded" look, another thin coat of epoxy will bring back the shine, and even if it gets strap imprints, you'll have to resand everything anyway, so no harm done.
I was using my kayak for several months before I finally got around to varnishing it. Remember, its a canoe not a piece of furniture. There'll be plenty of time to varnish after paddling season is over. Use it & enjoy.
If you don't like the "sanded" look, another thin coat of epoxy will bring back the shine, and even if it gets strap imprints, you'll have to resand everything anyway, so no harm done.