Filler problem

[Ed Blakeslee]

I have a problem with a canoe I installed new canvas on and am hoping not to have to start over. I think the fact that I used automotive urethane paint rather than marine paint may be at the heart of the problem. In several areas the filler has flacked off so you the weave of the canvas is exposed. I would like to sand through the paint and either try to refill the affected areas or use several coats of marine primer to fill/cover the problem areas. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

 

[1905Gerrish]

Ed,

I think you have 2 separate issues. First I would not recommend auto paint for a canoe and I sense you agree also now, It is not intended to be in contact with water the way marine paint is. Filler flaking off is another issue. Filler is intended to bond to the canvas. Filler is not intended to build up over the canvas, it is intended to fill the weave of the canvas. I have never has any of my filler flake off any canoe I have canvased. Flaking seems to me to be a application issue. Maybe not correctly applied which is causing your issue. If you did not have 2 sore arms for days after applying the filler it was not applied correctly. Was this your first attempt to filling? Did you make your own filler? Can you list the ingredients?

 

[Ed Blakeslee]

Thanks for replying. Yes the automotive paint was a bad choice. My guess is that I applied too much filler, the weave of the canvas was not visible when I was done. This was my first attempt at applying filler.
I used Old Town Filler. I would like to try saving the canvas but am not sure if this is realistic. I certainly need to remove the paint I applied.