Finishing the inside hull - mix of weave and smooth areas

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mjabbott
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Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2015 7:26 pm

Finishing the inside hull - mix of weave and smooth areas

Post by mjabbott »

Looking for some advice -

After glassing the inside hull and fixing some runs by scraping, I'm left with a hull that has a mix of weave (which is what I had wanted) and smooth areas (where I had to scrape the runs).

I plan on finishing the inside with a matte varnish, to minimize glare and maximize traction.

I admit, I'm a perfectionist and here's my question, should I:

1. Go ahead and sand the mixed smooth / weave as-is and apply the matte varnish? OR

2. Apply a third coat of epoxy (with a brush / roller) and try to get everything smooth before varnishing?

I really want to keep as much weave as possible for traction and I'm hoping option 1. is viable, but I need some advice from the experts.

Thank you.
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Finishing the inside hull - mix of weave and smooth area

Post by Jim Dodd »

This is purely a builders choice, as what you do really won't effect the strength of your hull.
Having said that, my preference is two coats of epoxy, lightly sand and then varnish with a gloss grade varnish.
Here is my reasoning,(and it's debatable !)

1. When I clean the inside, or outside, a smooth surface cleans easier.
2. I have no trouble with traction on a smooth surfaced canoe, but I don't stand in them. I've never slipped getting in and out of a smooth surfaced canoe.
3. A gloss finish is said to repel UV light better than a dull finish. I've NOT found the glare to be a problem while paddling. Glare from the water is a much bigger problem.

That's my three cents worth.

When I first started building, some builders recommended one coat of resin on the inside. It is true, a second coat adds little strength, and extra weight. But I'll stick with two coats.

Good Luck !

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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Cruiser
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Re: Finishing the inside hull - mix of weave and smooth area

Post by Cruiser »

Faced the same issue, I use Epifanes, what was recommended for that product line was a light sanding of the epoxy, followed by 2 coats of gloss varnish (light sand between) and a final coat of the matte. The matte isn't as durable or UV protective as the gloss.

Brian
mjabbott
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Re: Finishing the inside hull - mix of weave and smooth area

Post by mjabbott »

First - Thank you! for the quick response!

In an early project someone told me to use the two coats of high gloss (for UV protection), then the matte finish and I had great luck with that approach.

Since i already have 2 coats of epoxy on the hull, I'm going to sand it - in a few weeks - and try the 2 coats of high gloss follow by matte and see how it looks.

It may be a few months until I get to the varnish stage, but I'll post the results then for others to see. I'm hopeful the smooth/weave in the hull will be evened out with the sanding and varnish.

thank you,

Mike
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Patricks Dad
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Re: Finishing the inside hull - mix of weave and smooth area

Post by Patricks Dad »

I'd put down another coat of epoxy to achieve an even finish. I'd varnish (at least 2 coats of Epifanes) gloss. Then put a final coat of matte on to kill the shine. If you really want a rougher surface (although I've never had slipping problems) you can mix a bit of fine sand into a final last coat on the football area and roll it on (never have done this myself).
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mjabbott
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Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2015 7:26 pm

Re: Finishing the inside hull - mix of weave and smooth area

Post by mjabbott »

Thanks everyone for the advice! Just in case someone else searches for this, here is what I did.

I followed the advice of putting down 2 coats of epoxy to completely fill the weave. Then I sanded it all out. Yes, this was more work than just sanding the one coat of epoxy, but it gave me a beautiful consistent surface (vs. the mix of smooth and weave I had with just one coat.)

I'm now onto the first coat of high gloss epoxy and it looks great, except I have a couple of puddles of epoxy in near the bow and stern. Going to search to see if there is something I can do to remove those before they fully dry out.

Again, thank you everyone - great advice.

Mike
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Finishing the inside hull - mix of weave and smooth area

Post by Jim Dodd »

I've used a half moon shape scraper. I had to resharpen several times. The sooner the better !

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
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