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> Jerry, I sprayed 303 Protectant (looks and smells just like Armorall, only
> double the cost) on my Osprey. It was a messy proposition. I have 7 coats
> of Captain's varnish on the deck, wet sanded all coats with 1200 grit on
> the final coat, so the finish is like glass. The 303 really did make it
> unsightly, and as for the protection, only time will tell. All I know is
> it was messy and expensive, and smelled pretty lousy until it dried. If I
> can go several seasons without refinishing, I'll consider the application
> a success, but then I may never know if protection came from the 303 or
> the 7 coats of Captain's....
A friend told me about 303, and spoke very highly of it. At the time, he and I each had plastic kayaks. And he was right, it worked great on the plastic boats. After seeing the results and how well it held up (not to mention easy application), I decided to try it on a fiberglass boat (big motorized thing, sorry) instead of the annual coat of wax. When putting it on, it left streaks in spots, and just did not hold up well. Next year, it's back to wax.
As for wood kayaks, I'm still a few weeks away from the varnishing stage. Since epoxy is more similar to fiberglass than plastic, I will not attempt to 303 it prior to launch, although I may try some boat wax in an unobscure location. Better yet, I may varnish some scrap wood, and try different waxes to see how they react.
Ken
This is an archived message from The Kayak Building Bulletin Board.
Guillemot Kayak - High
Performance Wooden Sea Kayak Designs
