Not happy

Sorry for the lack of posting, been busy, its cold, and days are short, so I squeeze in what I can while I can.  Staying up on the latest outrage of the FRAUD is at the low end of that list (but I do keep a weather ear out for sudden shifts in tyranny to make sure I am not caught broadside)

Trying something a little different with the kayak.  Its not new; others have done it and reported good results, but I am not happy with what I am seeing.   Ok, gotta bring y’all up to speed here.  In both Serena and Duh!kee, I used a two part polyurethane system from Spirit-line.   Good results, but it can be finicky about repairs and re-finish.   Most people just ‘deal’ until such time as its time to re-skin.   Well, this time around I chose to go with regular spar varnish and pigment it like I do the two-part (very successfully at that).   

MEH!!!   

It soaks into the fabric very well, maybe better than the two part stuff does (less solids, more carrier solvents).  and it takes pigment pretty well too: nothing separating out when it gets on the fabric.   BUT,,   That finish is totally lacking any luster or appeal.   Its a smooth satin and I had to double check to make sure I hadn’t picked up a satin varnish ( ( didn’t, its high gloss).    It looks ‘Okay’, but it certainly lacks the ‘POP!” that the two part gave to Serena.   

*sigh*

And I am to far along and committed to a system to make the change to the other.   Heck, once that first line of coating went on, I was committed with no recourse for correction.   
But I will not be using it again.   

And I already told myself “Self, you shoulda tried it on a peice of scrap FIRST”.   Self responded that at the price I am paying for spar varnish, I was committed to the system and a test strip would have done little to my resolve.  Both selves are right.   I would have found a use for the spar varnish elsewhere, but at $18/qt and I bought a gallon, I was determined to use the crap on this boat.    Should’ve stuck to ‘tried and true’.   Live and learn, and I did learn and won’t be repeating this little screw-up.

Honestly, it looks like I painted the hull with a satin house paint, not varnish.   Blech!!!  

On other fronts, I have a 2 gallon pot of chicken parts stewing on the woodstove, and will be adding my dumplings in tomorrow after I skim out all the bones and other inedible parts.  That will keep me fat and happy for a week.   And the Kittehs are digging on the ‘other parts’ that they were given.   Grizz is especially fond of the livers and did something out of character for him: He growled at Mamakat when she went sniffing at his share.

It’s winter, chicken n dumplin’s are winter food and after a week of Chili, I needed a change-up.   (but DAMN that last bowl of Chili was EX-SEE-LANT!!!).  

May have a winter paddle forthcoming with B.   Watching weather and if things look stable, we are planning on a day trip out in the frosty cold waters of somewhere here local.   Maybe my fugly boat will get to make her first trip.   Even though the ‘paint job’ is shitte, there were a lot of cool features added in that I really want to try out.  That hard deck, the bulkhead foot brace and a slight shift in the hull design.   Yeah, I should make one change, try it out then incorporate it into another boat with another change: thats proper protocol when doing things like this, but then, I am anything but a proper kayak designer.   I figure if any one of the changes is bad, I will know right up front seeing how this is ‘almost’ the same boat that I started with.  (same length and beam, new ribs but same profile other than less rocker, which is a change I do know the results of.)

Ok, Grizz figured out I am seated and not moving, so its lap time for him.   I’ll post more soon.

Advertisement