Mr. Reynolds,
The suggestion to test your stain is a good one. What ever you decide, it needs to be something that will let the epoxy seep into the wood, compatible with the fiberglass cloth. My wife's Osprey Standard is probably made of the same kind of material, and though the color out of the box was lighter, it darkened up when I applied the epoxy. Different epoxies give a different shade (if any) of tint. The MAS I used on my wife's boat was quite dark. Clear Coat by System Three is quite clear, and the standard System 3 sold by Pygmy is somewhere in the middle. When you test your stain, test it by coating with the epoxy you will use as well. If you darken with stain, you will probably darken further with epoxy.
Bill Cruz

: I'm looking forward to receiving my new Pygmy. It will be my first yak as
: well as my first kit. I was considering staining the hull (not the deck)
: maybe a medium walnut color. Is water-based the main thing I should look
: for in a stain?