Hi Dale,

You could possibly also use commercial car paints with elasticiser in it. I have used this on aircrafts in Germany before which had fabric covered frames. They last many years. You may need the right primer, but the elasticiser keeps the paint flexible. PPG dealers may have info on these type of additives. I am not sure if it is available for clear coats.

Andreas

: I've been working on my child-size SOF kayak and have the canvas on (have to
: get some pictures to post, the frame can be seen at
: http://members.core.com/~dmcoop/iankayakstern.JPG ,
: http://members.core.com/~dmcoop/iankayakcockpit.JPG and
: http://members.core.com/~dmcoop/iankayakbow2 )and am ready to seal the
: skin. There seems to be a couple of different ways to do this: 1-2 coats
: of butyrate dope with or without paint, several coats of varnish, or 8-10
: coats of varnish. So, I'm trying to make a decision. I used colored canvas
: and want a clear finish. The dope looks nice because it fills the canvas
: and only needs a few coats (I'm ready to be done with this boat)but it's
: too cold to do it right now and I don't know if I can wait 'til Spring.
: Some articles recommend 8-10 coats of varnish with sanding to get a smooth
: finish that I'm guessing would mimic the dope. Sounds fine, I can do it in
: my semi-warm garage, but the thought of 10 coats of varnish is defeating
: me. I'm assuming if I do the fewer coats, you just end up with a rougher
: finish. Any thoughts? Is the temperature pretty critical on the dope? If I
: use a respirator can I do it in my garage, or will I kill off my whole
: family? (which would defeat the purpose of making the kid his own boat)
: Should I just suck it in and start varnishing? Is it too cold for the
: varnish? (I can hope for 50 in the garage on a warm day). Thanks for your
: thoughts.

: Dale