Marc,

I agree with the salesperson at the store. Bottomside paint is for something that is going to be staying in the water. I used a topside paint, Interlux Brightsides over their two part epoxy primer, when I painted my kayak. It has worked OK for me, though now after almost a year of frequent use there are bunches of scratches on the hull where the white primer is showing through.

-John D.

: I'm still a ways away from finishing my Coho kayak (just pulled all the wires
: from the hull today) but I was wondering about painting the hull. When I'm
: done, I want to paint the hull and the coaming dark green and varnish the
: deck. My question is, do any of you have a preference on the type (brand)
: of paint to use. I can easily get a hold of Valspar marine paint, but the
: color that I want, they only have in their topside paint, not bottomside.
: The kid at the store told me that as long as the boat isn't being stored
: in the water, I can use the topside paint under the waterline. Is this
: correct? Thanks in advance for the help. This is my first kayak. I've
: never even been in one before. I figured what better way to learn than to
: build one first.