Epoxy on trim? Or straight to varnish?

[themrbruceguy]

Hey all,

I am getting dangerously close to finishing my canoe build of a 15' Prospector Ranger (started in 2017, so it's about time). My wife and I are expecting our first kid in January, so it's time to up the tempo and get this thing done.

I was wondering if I could get your guys' thoughts on whether or not I should seal my trim with epoxy prior to applying varnish? Or seal it with some kind of wood sealer and then varnish? Or just go straight to varnish?

My gunwales are ash and my decks are cherry.

Personally, I like the idea of everything getting epoxied in order to ensure waterproofness. But I am hesitant to apply the epoxy because it seems tricky to do now that all of the trim is installed. I don't want to cause myself extra work if some of it runs down the hull, etc. If I skip applying epoxy, am I risking future wood rot / headaches down the road?

I would appreciate any feedback and opinions that you guys may have!

Thanks,
~ Jake

[Jim Dodd]

The Canoe looks great ! And Congratulations on the up coming addition to the Family !

If you glued with epoxy and filler to the hull. You took the first step in prolonging the life of your canoe !

I get by after gluing the trim to the hull, and Watco with a heavy coat, left to dry several weeks.

Others have seal coated with epoxy, then applied varnish after epoxy has set.
A good method also !

Oh ! Here is a trick to keep the varnish from running down the side of the hull .
These tall Scissor stands work for me !

Let gravity be your friend !



Jim

[themrbruceguy]

Thanks for your response, Jim!

I did indeed bond the inwales and outwales to the hull using thickened epoxy. I used 4 stainless steel screws (per side) at the decks as well for the outwales. I covered those up using tapered plugs cut from my leftover ash which looks very clean. Hopefully those gunnels stay on there for a long time haha!

It seems like both strategies in your response require a sealing application of some kind. I am leaning towards epoxy since I already have it and have experience applying it. I was just hoping that I was done with it, but a final application won't kill me. Just takes time. I will definitely be building a couple of those stands shown in your photo. Those look very helpful in keeping the canoe as clean and drip-free as possible.

I won't be able to tackle this for another week or so, but hopefully will have it done in the not-so-distant future.

Again, I really appreciate your advice!

Thanks,
~ Jake