Varnish over Hull Paint?

[Lindemanlax]

Hi all -- I'm new to these boats and looking to hopefully pick up my first (1974 OT OTCA 17') on Sunday. Assuming the canvas does not need replacing, is it okay to roll/tip on a layer of spar varnish over the hull paint to provide added protection/waterproofing? It supposedly hasn't been paddled in a few years. I'll know more when I see the boat in person, but just thinking/planning ahead... Thanks in advance!

 

[Dave Osborn]

I put varnish on a couple hulls. It was to save the original patina at the request of the customer when they did not agree with my suggestion of canvas replacement. They actually looked pretty good, when they left the shop, but haven’t seen them since.
I have a friend that uses varnish as a filler. Takes about 5-6 coats to build up, but leaves a nice khaki appearance…..and seemingly tough as hell.
Why not just sand it and put new paint on it? That’s what I’d do.

 

[Lindemanlax]

@Dave Osborn, that was going to be my next question... painting. I'll know more on Sunday when I see the thing. But, certainly that would be an option. I believe they re-painted it in the original "Yale Blue" color it came from the factory. I just don't know when that work was done. Either way, I'll explore. Thanks!!!

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

My experience with varnishing over paint was for the original finish on the white trim on my fur trade canoe. It looked fine when new, but as the varnish aged and yellowed a bit it started to look very splotchy. Brushing created the worst looking areas, rolling and tipping was not far behind and even spraying yielded surprisingly uneven yellowing. This was with Captains Varnish. Some of the non-yellowing acrylic varnishes might be better, but I'm pretty well convinced that the paint should be the top layer, which it is these days.