> I'll let others respond to most of your questions, but I wanted to say
> something about paint vs. varnish. If you paddle in an area with a lot of
> boat traffic you really should paint your hull a bright color. I've almost
> been run down a few times by (probably drunk) sports fishing boat
> operators. Imagine a 36-foot Hatterras coming at you out of the fog at 30
> knots, it's driver sucking on a Bud. In addition I've heard how hard it is
> for a rescue boat to spot an upside-down all-varnished hull. We often tell
> this story to our customers. It is totally irresponsible for any company
> to tell it's customers that all boats should be varnished. It's hard for
> CLC to say this since we use Shelman wood which has the best face veneers
> of any made. Varnishing all our boats would result in more sales if they
> were compared to others, but it wouldn't be the right thing to do. And
> yes, even strip built boats should at least have a bright stripe if they
> are paddled on busy waterways. Nick, do you agree?

Yes, I agree - at least in principle. I am usually loath to cover the wood with anything more than varnish. The most I can bring myself to do is use a light colored wood on the bottom so it is at least easier to find the capsized boat.

One advantage of painting is you can use lower quality (not as good looking) wood. If, like me, you like the wood look, you could consider a reflective sheer stripe (which I can't say I have ever done). At very least you should wear a visible colored PFD.

Even the brightest colored kayak is going to be hard for an on coming boat to sea if there are any waves because most of the time the kayak is going to be below the wave tops. The most visible item on your kayak is your paddle. The first thing most people see at a is the flash of the moving paddle. Again this is a place which I could personally do better, a white or brightly colored paddle would be safer than the natural wood I like best.