> Four months ago I did some repairs (building up of the bow ,stern, and
> skek box opening with epoxi and chopped glass fibers). The following day I
> painted the repaired areas with an enamel paint. It seems from reading the
> recent posts re: "epoxi then varnish" that I should have waited
> longer to give the epoxi time to cure. Any advice as to what to do
> now.What pecentage of the total possible sthrength am I loosing? I have
> been using the boat and the only sign of wear is that the paint has again
> worn off a some in those same areas. Thank you. Happy Hollidays to all.
> konstantin

Konstantin,

Many people have had good results varnishing or painting their kayak soon after epoxying and have not had any problems with adhesion. This is most likely due to the no-blush characteristics of the epoxy that they are using. What epoxy did you use for your repair? You will not lose any strength in your epoxy/glass matrix because you painted soon after epoxying -- epoxy "cures", it does not "dry", which means the chemical reaction takes place regardless of whether or not it is covered with paint. Because I don't know what epoxy you are using I can't say whether you have blush or not, but I would wait awhile before repainting to allow the epoxy to cure more. Then remove the paint, scrub the offending areas with soapy water to remove any blush, and repaint.

Good luck,

Joe Greenley