: i just finished building my first kayak, plywood construction. and
: i was planning on fiber glassing the hull but i painted it
: first. i learned later this was wrong . so i decided to just go
: ahead put a coat of resin over it. two weeks later its still
: tacky will it ever dry or is it doomed.

You say "resin". just exactly what does the can of resin say it is? I'm thinking you might have used a polyester-based resin instead of epoxy. The polyester resins meant for laminating will not harden in the presence of oxygen.

Here is a quick way to check. Epoxy uses a honey-thick hardener, and uses a lot of it. Your mix might be anywhere from 1/5th hardener to half hardener and half resin. Polyester uses a clear, water-thin hardener, and uses a very small amount. You might add anywhere from a few drops to a teaspoon of hardener for a quart of resin.

If you are using polyester the fix is pretty easy. Put on another coat, and seal this coat so it is air-tight. you can wrap the area with Saran Wrap, or use cheap, thin, polyethylene drop cloths. Squeegee then gently right onto the fresh wet resin, and let it rest until it is hard.

Then sand it smooth, sanding right through the plastic wrap. You will remove most of the resin you applied in that last coat, but it will be worth it.
If you were working with real epoxy, then you probably have a bad mixing ration, and the entire mess has to come off. Since it is still soft, you should get most off with straight vinegar and a lot of clean rags. The vinegar may be gentle enough to remove the resin and leave your paint job intact. Let's hope.

Do you have glass fabric embedded in that coat of resin which you applied? If not, then your resin will not be adding any strength to the boat by itself. It wil just be a thick paint.

PGJ