: Outdoor latex is intended for houses. Houses stay outside in all
: weathers although they don't often float in water. My boats fit
: that category, some stay out 12 months a year others hang on the
: garage wall. Latex is suitable for a boat that will be in the
: water for a few hours at a time but will spend most of its time
: "dry moored" - most canoes and kayaks fit into that
: category - and that's what latex is designed to do.

: Paints are not intended to fill the kind of hole that a staple
: leaves but a good primer should fill grain. I find the first
: coat of latex is a hassle, the wood just soaks it up and it's
: uneven and hard to sand. So after filling and sanding, I apply a
: sanding sealer, which dries fast and sands easily providing a
: perfect surface for the first coat of latex primer. It is also a
: good start for varnishing. I get good results using 2 coats of
: primer and 2 top coats, lightly sanded between coats; no pin
: holes and virtually no brush marks. The first coat of primer and
: top coat benefit from a very, very little thinning. I get a
: better finish with a brush than with a roller.

: I do not attempt to get a gloss finish: latex's best-looking finish
: is probably semi-gloss or maybe satin, which provides a silky
: look; I wouldn't want it for my car but it looks great on a boat
: and gets compliments; it's shiny when wet! Maintenance consists
: of an off-season inspection to touch-up scratches.

: Most important is to leave it alone for a few weeks; latex may dry
: fast but it takes ages to cure, but it forms a hard, flexible
: coat that protects the wood for years. Obviously it is not a
: showroom finish, not for restoring a classic mahogany runabout
: and not for going to sea for months. I admit that I prefer my
: boats to spend more time in the water than being built and
: finished: if you are very choosy about your boat's finish and
: appearance, experiment on a piece of leftover wood first to see
: how it will turn out.

Recently I've been using Rustoleum's marine paint, it's "much" cheaper than most other marine paints and seems to work well, though it's a bit thick and can use thinning. Also many big box lumber yards stock it so you don't have to pay shipping.

Bill H.