Maintenance and Repairs: Clear Finished and Painted Strip Built Canoe, Kayaks and Other Small Boats

Compared with most wooded boats, clear finished strip-built canoes, kayaks and other small boats don’t need much maintenance. For this page we'll concentrate on what is required for varnished boats. We typically do no more than put on a new coat of varnish before each season. Paint includes a few clear coatings as well. A detailed C&F sheet will be included for each baot. You can do the work yourself or we can quote you a price for us to do it.

For as long as you own yourboat, it is guaranteed against any defects caused by the design or construction. Damage caused by wear and tear, natural events or other events beyond our control are not covered. If you have a boat that has been inadvertently damaged, please contact us, since we may be able to repair it for a reasonable fee.

Painted Boats

Due to the hi-tech modern coatings on painted boats, they require virtually no maintenance. Simply rinse them with fresh water. You can apply an automobile or marine wax to keep the shine. Do not use any wax that contains silicone. It can cause problems if you ever want the boat repainted. As long as deep scraches don’t let water get to the wood, they don’t need immediate attention. When you get a chance, you can apply some paint onto the scratch to protect the epoxy.

Yearly Wear and Tear

Yearly: Abrasion from pulling the boat up the beach will eventually sand off all the varnish. It should be renewed about once a year. Wash the boat off and sand the area to be varnished with 400 grit paper then apply any good marine varnish with UV blockers. We use Pettit’s Z-Spar Captain or Flagship Varnish. Other good varnishes are Interlux Goldspar, and Epifanes Gloss. Follow the manufacture’s recommendations for application. Don’t worry about getting a perfect finish on the bottom. The bottom will be scratched again before you know it.

Every two years the whole boat will need to be revarnished. Remove all the hardware and lines mounted on the deck, and sand the boat until the gloss is gone everywhere. You will notice a change in tone of the surface as you sand through the varnish into the epoxy, and this is useful because you should avoid sanding too far into the epoxy. There is no need to remove all the varnish. Revarnish by following the manufacture’s recommendations for application, sanding between coats. The results will probably look like new.

For painted boats, simplywash the boat with fresh water and touch up any deep scratches with paint. You can buff the paint out to restore the shine if you want.

Bad Scratches

Some of the worst scratches will gouge through the varnish/paint into the epoxy and fiberglass, but they are not of immediate concern. As long as they don’t let water get to the wood, they don’t need immediate attention. When you get a chance, you can apply some varnish/paint onto the scratch to protect the epoxy. Rinse off the boat and scrub the scratch clean before varnishing/painting. If it looks as though the fibers of the glass are separated from the epoxy, you may need to clean a little deeper. Wet down the scratch with a solvent such as lacquer thinner or acetone and scrub it clean, then varnish.

Dealing with Bruises and Holes

The boat is strong and will survive a lot of abuse with nothing more than cosmetic damage, but worse things happen sometimes. For example, misjudge the timing of a wave as you pass over a rock and so, instead of passing over it, you’re left teetering on the rock. Or worse, You misjudged a wave and got dropped on top of a sharp rock, (or you drop it while taking it off the roof rack…) and now you have a hole in the boat. If this is enough to cause a bruise that goes into the wood, you should do a little extra work to prevent water damage.

For a bruise, a quick fix is to slap some varnish/paint over it to keep the water out for awhile. Eventually you will need to do something more permanent. Repairing holes and permanent fixes to bruises requires replacing any damaged fiberglass and wood. With a little care and matching wood, you will be the only one able to see the damage.