There is a local (Michigan) builder of plywood kayaks that paints all his boats with a white, 2-part polyurethane paint. I have seen a number of these $3000 boats at our symposiums, and with the exception of a few older models, these boats always look like new. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear it was a fiberglass hull, the surface is so smooth and hard. The drawback is that working with this catalyzed paint is dangerous without a good respirator. I once sprayed my '73 VW Baja Bug with one of these paints in my parents' garage, and my dad got ill side-effects from just being in the house -- he wasn't even involved in the spraying. There are also un-catalyzed (1-part) polyurethanes, and I've seen a few CLC's painted with foam rollers that looked very nice, although I don't know how they hold up to scratching.

As to epoxy color additives, the only that I know about is graphite, which produces a lower-friction surface that has a dark gray color. Not real attractive for a wood boat, but functional. But since the surface has a more matte rather than glossy finish, scratches are actually more visible.

The path of least resistance on this topic, though, is just to accept that your boat will get scratched. 95% of them will be on the lower hull, so unless you have your kayak strung up in the rafters as I do, you won't notice them. In Nick's book, he outlines the final steps of the building process thusly: "Carry it to the water and carefully lay the kayak in. Paddle it from the shore with great care, avoiding any potential hazard. Do this every time you paddle until, eventually, the day will come when, thanks to a lapse of attention, you will hit a rock or stump that you didn't see. The boat is now scratched. Your kayak is now complete."

Dean

> Hi folks,

> Im a novice in the kayaking world...

> My question comes from an ol' thread that I had found from the
> builder/owner of a Chesepeake 17 [the same model I intend to buy as kit].
> While he thoroughly enjoys the kayak he mentioned that the paint on the
> hull scratches very easily. It is the recommended Marine Paint he claims,
> but even soft sandy beach landings as well as rubbing next to a dock will
> chip or scratch the paint.

> This is the ONE thing bothering me about the idea of a painted wood kayak.
> The said kayak builder/owner sais he didnt "varnish" or
> "coat" the hull, only the unpainted wood stained top.

> So whats the low down on painted hull kayaks. Granted, any paint will
> scratch, given a hard enough knock, but this sounds a little excessive.
> Isnt there a way to actually dye or color the epoxy rather than paint over
> it and suffer the danged chips and scratches??

> This is my only standing caveat thats concerning me regarding the purchase
> of a wood kit. Any help would be most appreciated.

> Best Always,

> Peter