: Another thing to bear in mind is that wet sanding by hand is actually quite
: pleasant and contemplative after sanding epoxy with a ROS. It takes very
: little time and will help ensure a really good final finish. I'm also
: curious about why you want a mat finish.

I do wet sand by hand... and yes it is not that bad, and even pleasent if you are outside on a good day. However, I want to be out on a trip end of May, and want to get some practice in the rivers before then, and ensure I can roll the kayak in moving water. So time is running short, and I have a few other things on the go just now.

I have lots of eyelets on my kayak (just over 30), that really slow the sanding process down. FWIW, I think the bonus in sanding ease, alone makes up for the difficulty in making the recessed bungie/deckline eyelets. I'll definatly go that way next time.

I'll be sanding for the final coat, to remove some of the imperfections, and get the mechanical bond.

Based on your responce, and Ken's, I've a funny feeling I'd go with Semi-gloss. I'm not exactly sure what Matt is, I assume you can see through it?

thanks

Myrl.