Thanks for the replies. To answer a few questions-
My issue with the topside paint has been durability and ease of repairing. I should have expected it, but the cockpit sees more abrasion than the outside of the kayak from shoes, water bottles, etc. Add water to the equation, and scuffs and scrapes seem to worsen quickly and the finish fails. A touch up on a painted hull at the end of the season is one thing, but this looked crummy pretty quickly.
I'm sure I could have achieved a better painted finish (better surface prep, better paint), but an approach where the color is encapsulated and/or integral to the epoxy seems simpler and more durable.
A stain would be most "encapsulated," but I for sure won't be glassing the exterior first, so bleed through is a concern. I'm going to experiment with this.
As for color, I was thinking black or blue (nothing too crazy), and there seems to be more options for black when it comes to epoxy colorant. I'll grab a small tube of the System Three to experiment.
My "aesthetic goal" is simply to break up the wood-on-wood look of a bright finished kayak with open cockpit. If the stain option will work, it might look nice to go with a darker wood tone- this would still offer some contrast while not entirely obscuring the wood grain (I'm using cherry).
Thanks, all-
Patrick