: Has anyone had any problems with high outdoor temperatures affecting their
: boats? I'm concerned about leaving my Pygmy Coho on my roof rack on hot
: summer days. When the air temp is close to 100F, the hull temp must get a
: lot hotter. It seems to me that the epoxy will start to soften at some
: point. If the epoxy gets soft the boat might warp.

: Has anyone actually seen any damage due to hot weather? Does anyone routinely
: leave their boats out in these conditions without problems?

Decks present the biggest problem as they face the sun and have dead air space under them that keeps the heat generated by the sun from dissipating.

Strippers may be more prone to problems with the glue (yellow carpenter's or PVA) softening and shifting between strips in hot weather causing white spots of glass lifting under stress. I've had these problems and have switched to polypropylene glue for my decks. This glue is not reactivated by heat as is PVA glue. Of the PVA glues Titebond II has the highest heat rating, and this is why I use it for my hulls.

Still problems may occur and epoxy will definitely soften in hot weather. The combination of hot weather and shock cord pressure caused some wooden deck hardware, I had only glued down, to pop off! Learned my lesson on that one.

Dark color woods will increase heat generation greatly and should be considered carefully if you live in very hot climes. You can reduce heat production by using dark woods as accents or in smaller patches on your deck.

On the water you'll be fine. Anywhere else on a very hot clear day and you can expect problems if you don't place your boat in shade. I go to shows all the time where my boats are out in the sun on the hottest summer days and I have had problems.

A white or light colored cloth cover for your boat can make a big difference in keeping it cool. There are cloth kayak covers available out there, but we're a bit too proud to cover our nice wood boats aren't we. We wouldn't get all those stares and smiles.

Keep it cool, and this means storing it away from heaters in the winter too!

All the best,

Rob Macks
Laughing Loon CC&K
www.LaughingLoon.com