[Paddlewise] kayak aesthetics (paint vs varnish)

I've built two skin on frame touring kayaks about 25 years ago, covered 
them in canvas and finished them with airplane dope and varnish. That 
produced a translucent yellowish finish which looked quite nice.

In the past 10 years or so I've built four Stitch and glue sea kayaks. With 
each one I've varnished the deck and  have painted the bottom and sides - 
not because the woodwork was sloppy but because the paint gives more 
protection, is easier to touch up (though I tend not to touch up the boats 
more than once every two years, or when I'm going to sell them), and looks 
**really nice**. I've had the same experience many others have had - people 
come up to the boats and comment on their beauty.

Paint, properly done, can look wonderful. Varnish, sloppily done, just 
looks sloppy.

The other consideration for me is that I have to finish the boats in an 
area which is inherently dusty, and varnish seems to attract dust much more 
quickly than does paint. I do all sorts of things to minimize dust - clean 
the area as thoroughly as possible, wet it down thoroughly a few hours 
before varnishing or painting or varnishing, even build a "room within a 
room" using temporary plastic walls and ceiling. Nothing completely stops 
the dust, which shows up much more easily on the varnished surfaces.

Bill Hansen


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