Peeling Varnish

[CStanton]

I just launched my boat (pictures to come soon) and when I was paddling, I noticed that the varnish peeled when it got hit by the paddle or somthing else. When you change sides to paddle and you hit the boat, or when you drag the paddle on the outwale, it starts to peel. Feels gummy. Should I put somthing ontop of my 2 coats of UV Varnish (K-Spar)? Maybe some epoxy?
The gunwales are made of ash. What do you think?
Thanks!
-Casey

[Glen Smith]

Hi Casey, it sounds like there may have been some "amine blush" on the epoxy which was not removed before varnishing. Or the varnish coats were applied before the previous coats had dried sufficiently. Or the epoxy hadn't cured long enough before varnishing. Did you sand between coats to assure good adhesion? Another possibilty is incompatability of the varnish with the epoxy. So, more details on products used, application techniques, application timetables would help in diagnosis.

Why are you banging the boat anyway?

[Rod Tait]

I'm not clear on what you describe. Is the varnish only peeling off the gunwales? Did you epoxy the gunwales before varnish? Did you let it harden fully, sand the epoxy and then coat with varnish?

I would not try to put anything on top until you determine what went wrong or you will have more layers peeling off. I would not advise epoxy over varnish. If the epoxy has not cured, your mix may have been wrong or you did not wait long enough before varnish. Amine blush if using certain hardeners may have prevented adhesion?

More info and we might be able to determine the fix.

[Juneaudave]

What brand of varnish is that? And how long has it been on?

[Guest]

Hi Casey
On my first canoe I had a reaction between the tack cloth I was using and the varnish. The varnish didn't properly cure and I had to remove it. After that I used a acetone wipe down to remove the sanding dust. Just another thought.
Dave