Question about Touch-up Painting on a Wood/Dacron Loon Works

[Brightraven]

Hi there, I am a complete newbie to wooden canoes but couldn’t resist picking up a gorgeous Loon Works wood and Dacron “Nakoma” last week that crossed my path.

It is in great shape but there are a couple small areas on the hull where the paint has thinned all the way to the Dacron. I would like to remedy this but have zero experience painting any kind of canoe. Please excuse my ignorance, but I don’t want to mess anything up! I have read that sometimes sanding is involved, while others say you can use epoxy in small spots before deciding to repaint the entire hull, and then others say never use epoxy and just use some marine paint over the thinned and missing areas.
This is an interesting lilac paint color that I’m not sure I can exactly match, but I’m ok with finding something similar to make touch ups before the entire hull needs to be redone (maybe over the Winter).

But I’d like to paddle it throughout the Fall without worrying about any water damage...

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Many thanks!

 

[Rob Stevens]

Is it leaking? If not, paddle it.
Pictures would help other assess the extent of the "thinning", and what to do about it.

 

[Brightraven]

It’s not leaking and paddles like a dream. But I can feel the textural differences of the Dacron that is showing in a dime-sized area. I will post photos later today. Thanks for the response!

 

[Brightraven]

This is what the area looks like when zoomed in though the size is really smaller than a dime. There are a few spots like this... Wondering if I should just touch that area up with a dab of marine enamel paint, right over it as is? Or should I sand the area first and then touch up? Or spread a bit of epoxy over it for now and wait until I paint the entire hull? Or leave it alone and not worry? Or...? Many thanks!

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I'd just do a small patch with epoxy and touch up paint. Definitely epoxy first tho.

 

[Fitz]

I have used a 2 part epoxy putty product that I found in the hardware store. The two parts come in plastic film canisters. I think it would be the cat's meow for this repair. I will see if I can find a brand name for you.

 

[Greg Nolan]

Once you have dealt with a small repairs, you should consider painting the entire hall instead of just touching up. Once those small repairs are made, you can otherwise prep and paint the hull in a morning, Not much more time than just applying the touch up paint.