A Tale of Two Halves

[canoebees]

I was just wondering if anybody had ever sanded a two part poly varnish? to a nice finish.

Also I,ve wondered about just polishing the epoxy as a finish but im not to sure how tough the epoxy would be out on the rivers and stored in the backyard. I dont now if any of you guys have ever polished epoxy with ever finer sand-papers or for best results use wet n dry for the final stages,
It is stuning

Idealy I would like to finish the bright work with 3 coats of poly varnish and then sand it up to a dull shine because I THINK the poly would be tougher? but it would look like the finish I get on the epoxy.

Hope your with me

[Brandon]

the issue with leaving the epoxy bare is the UV degridation that a good varnish will cut out, tough wise I don't know, but I rekon it'll 6 and half a dozen

[canoebees]

The epoxy was mixed with west systems 207 tropical hardener which as UV protection.( not sure how good it is?) Its the sanding of poly varnish that I need to know Or how tough epoxy is?

[canoebees]

Well here we go again
Now the canoe is near to complete it was time to coat all the inside/bright work in epoxy as this would toughen them up and stop any staining if water gets under the varnish, so away I went.



After coating both fore and aft decks a pair of joints in the real wood veneer appeared, this I could not see untill the epoxy went on but there you go.



Same epoxy coat on the gunnels.



And any other bright work.



Next I sanded all the newly epoxied surfaces down to a lovely dull finish and smoothed out the epoxy join under the gunnels.



The next job was to mask up the keels ready for paint as these would be danish oiled.



The first coat to go on was International interprotect which is an etching of a sort, just helps the paint stick.
Erm battleship gray.



Next a coat of International Perfection undercoat which is White.



The next coat was a mix of International Perfection undercoat with a small amount of Perfection finish. this made is a smashing PINK! but will give the final colour depth and a deep shine.



The next day when the undercoat was dry I gave her a quick rub down ready for the colour coats.



Then it was time for two coats of International Perfection in Chilli Red which we ALL know is the fastest colour you can buy



Then I nipped out and bought a Volvo estate. A proper canoeists car in British racing Green and we all know how fast that is



Well it is when its on a T5.



Nearly there now

[KeithD]

You must be very proud.

After coating both fore and aft decks a pair of joints in the real wood veneer appeared, this I could not see untill the epoxy went on

If I were you I'd tell everyone it was meant to be like that.

[canoebees]

I must admit it is putting a smile on my face

[MagiKelly]

That first scratch is going to be a heart breaker though

[Marcus2]

Shining like a cats ass in the moonlight Looking good to me

[canoebees]

Scratch! im not putting it in the water
No I just want it to look good on the first day which I hope to be a the lakes meeting
Im just ptting the white line on under the gunnels then tomorrow varnish the inside.
I may add a clear coat too the outside when we get back from the lakes.

[TGB]

It just gets better and better. And then just when you think it can't, it gets beeter still. Hope it's just as good to paddle, as look at.

Excellent stuff all round.

TGB

[retro]

It really is a labour of love, hope you do have it ready for Coniston

[canoebees]

Well I've stopped all work now on the paint job until after the lakes meet to give it all time too harden. then when I return I will rub down and do a all over coat of clear perfection.
I just need to put the hatches in,oil the keels make gasket for the join and drop the seats in ....Oh! and stick the mats in.
Then when we get to the lakes we will just have to hope she floats as she is untested.
But you gotta have faith!

[paulnb57]

Does it float?................

[MotoMike]

An epic adventure. I wait bated breath

[Voyager]

..........and you're going to put that thing on a big pond in Cumbria? The New Tate Gallery more like!....

[MotoMike]

Any news my friend? very anxious to hear the rest of the story

[MotoMike]

Canoebees

I was wondering how your canoe is doing? any news? photos?

[Soupdragon]

I've been watching this thread for a while and i am about to begin a stitch and tape build of my own with my Father. I was wondering if you have any Great wisdoms to impart to a fellow builder?

[spyro]

Hi Soupdragon

Welcome, and all the best with your build. It's a great hobby and really satisfying when you see your first boat coming together.
What design have you chosen ? There's lots of excellent designers for stitch n tape out there, the most difficult decision is which one to choose !
Then the next major choice is your design approach closely tied in with the budget you have for it. And here there's no right answer - at one extreme you could go for 6mm marine ply with lots of layers of epoxy and fibre glass sheathing, with hardwood fittings (eg decking, thwarts, etc), watertight compartments with access hatches. This would last forever, look good, but there'll be more scope for error (eg sheathing the whole hull is not straightforward) and will be expensive and heavy. At the other extreme some designs can be built from 4mm exterior ply, taping only the inside seams (check with designer first though), with softwood fittings (eg Spruce/Deal outwhales, thwarts etc) which you could pick up fairly cheaply from the local timber supplier. This could also look good, would be a lot lighter, cheaper, but may not last as long (although reasonable quality exterior ply should last 10 years or so with no trouble and there are many accounts of exterior ply lasting much longer than that).
It's a very personal preference as to what approach you take, but there is a danger of getting confused about all the different options, as I was for a good while before starting.
Last but not least take health and safety seriously ( epoxy-proof gloves, mask/respirator, ventilation, goggles etc)
Also be warned - canoe building is addictive - you'll probably be planning your second build before you've half-way finished the first ! (and the second one's a lot easier having learned lots of lessons with the first !)

Bill

[Soupdragon]

Bill

Thankyou very much for your quick and friendly reply, I have no doubt that building will become a very addictive pastime
(as will paddling ) the design I am going for is a Sassafras 14' canoe from the book
'the canoe shop : three elegant canoes that anyone can build'
by Chris Kulczycki.

Thanyou again

Al