I'm about finished with a Bob's Special and am not pleased with the look of the wood on the exterior. I used white pine. I'm thinking of painting the hull using a high-end latex exterior house paint rather than an expensive two-part epoxy paint. My research on other sites shows that I can paint it and cover it with a few coats of UV varnish and all will come out OK. Weight is not a serious consideration but to be considered. Any comments?
Painting a conoe
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- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:59 pm
- Location: Great Falls, Montana
Painting a conoe
It's never as easy as it looks!
Sacrilege - even though white pine is not the most exciting without acccent strips. What is the reason you are thinking of painting? There would have to be some pretty drastic reason(s) for me to paint (hide) the beauty of the wood.
Sorry, but I offer no comment for your actual question...
Snowman
Sorry, but I offer no comment for your actual question...
Snowman
Snowman back East
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- Posts: 20
- Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:16 am
- Location: Kawartha Lakes
Painting a Canoe
It's your canoe. Paint it if you want to!
Cheers,
Bob
Cheers,
Bob
things to consider
If you paint the hull it is more difficult to assess damage to the hull should you crash it into the rocks. This may not be an issue for you, but I use my canoe hard and damage is easy to see with the clear finish. Staining from water entering a crack or cut is what I am usually looking for.
Another paint option is relatively inexpensive porch/deck/floor enamel. This provides a very tough coating. I have used it on several fiberglass canoes with good results. It is a tougher coating than exterior house paint. Colors are more limited, but choices seem to be expanding.
Another paint option is relatively inexpensive porch/deck/floor enamel. This provides a very tough coating. I have used it on several fiberglass canoes with good results. It is a tougher coating than exterior house paint. Colors are more limited, but choices seem to be expanding.
Green Valley Quetico
My Huron is painted about the same. I used Interlux Brightside enamel in Hatteras off-white initially, then read on other boards that paddlers were using floor and porch paint that provides good scratch and abrasion resistance, at about half the price. So now it's Rona's floor paint with epoxy added, tinted to the color I want. I like it more than the Brightside, since it covers very well and doesn't seem to run easily like the Brightside did. A roller makes application easiest.
For a really scratch-resistant paint, a two-part polyurethane is best, but expensive. I used Endura... another benefit is it's lighter than enamels and forms a tough, thin coat.
My Huron is painted about the same. I used Interlux Brightside enamel in Hatteras off-white initially, then read on other boards that paddlers were using floor and porch paint that provides good scratch and abrasion resistance, at about half the price. So now it's Rona's floor paint with epoxy added, tinted to the color I want. I like it more than the Brightside, since it covers very well and doesn't seem to run easily like the Brightside did. A roller makes application easiest.
For a really scratch-resistant paint, a two-part polyurethane is best, but expensive. I used Endura... another benefit is it's lighter than enamels and forms a tough, thin coat.
Painting is always an option, and the results can be very nice.
I am unsure why there is sometimes such strong opposistion to doing this?
If you do choose to paint, use a good quality scratch resistant paint. I used a red latex formulated for outdoor use on wood- It came out nice, however the paint scrathes off too easily for my liking (i.e. when rubbed against rocks etc..)
Next time I would go for an oil based lux type paint.
All the best
Mark
I am unsure why there is sometimes such strong opposistion to doing this?
If you do choose to paint, use a good quality scratch resistant paint. I used a red latex formulated for outdoor use on wood- It came out nice, however the paint scrathes off too easily for my liking (i.e. when rubbed against rocks etc..)
Next time I would go for an oil based lux type paint.
All the best
Mark
"The journey is the reward"- Tao saying
Whenever the subject of painting a hull comes up, I refer folks to an article that appeared in the Wood Kayak issue of Wavelength magazine from December 2005. You can find the article here and it discusses pros & cons of paint versus varnish, as well as other issues relating to the finish of a small boat.
The rest of the issue is also available online.
Cheers,
Bryan
The rest of the issue is also available online.
Cheers,
Bryan