: I'm in college, so I'm making a strip kayak on a very limited budget. I am
: using pine to strip the entire boat (cost me about $70 for mainly clear
: pine) , with some fir for contrast here and there. However, I still like
: the look of a darker boat, so I was wondering if anybody has stained the
: wood before glassing, or if anybody has tried staining a pattern, like
: every other piece of wood. The only thing I can think of is that if there
: is glue or wood putty in any places these won't stain, as they are not
: porous.

Just be aware that staining pine can be a bit dicey. The pine is prone to sploching where the stain doesn't pentrate evenly across the surface. You can use a special conditioner, or a special stain to help cure this problem. If you are set on staining the pine, you could wash coat it with shellac first. The washcoat would be a 1# or 2# cut of shellac before applying the stain. Normally, the shellac from a store is a 3# cut, so you have to thin it, directions are on the can.