: Does anybody know of or have any links to photo's of S&G kayaks that have a
: painted deck but natural hull?

Hi Dave,
No, I don't have any sources of inspiration via pictures or web sites, but would like to offer a few suggestions. The painted deck and natural hull idea could be quite pleasing to the eye, but it might be wise to consider all options for painting. I would check-out some books from the library on the latest/greatest paint techniques, including faux (fake) finishes. There are some very interesting approaches to applying paint, and many could be adapted to use on the deck of your Cirrus and would hide the imperfections better than a solid color.

Last week, I used pigmented epoxy with three separate colors and applied it to my Toto hull using the "rag-rolling" technique. First I painted the surface with red epoxy, then later rag-rolled on the peach epoxy, then white, then red. It looks very unique to say the least. And I'm very happy with the results. Using colored epoxy is not much harder than paint, if you do small batches, but would cost more and be slightly heavier. I'll try to get a pic of this boat up this afternoon. I've also done two other models with this same idea, except one was sponged on and on the other I used a feather to paint the epoxy on with. Another option that I like the look of is my aspen(holly?) shaft on a carbon blade paddle that has dark blue epoxy partially sanded off to reveal the white wood underneath. It has that worn look. Clear epoxy over any of these examples really helps give the project depth and a professional appearance.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the deck of your Cirrus could be your blank canvas. Use your imagination (or borrow ideas from books) and be creative with the finish. You may be one of the first to apply some fancy new technique, whether hiding mistakes or not, and come out of it with a real work of art. I wish you the best of luck in which ever route you choose and would like to help if you have any questions or want someone to bounce ideas off of.

: I could goof around in Photoshop with some of Vaclavs pics but it wouldn't
: quite be the same.

Not a bad idea, go for it if you've got the time. Test swatches are probably better though.
SMF