I am building a Wood Duck 10 and have it now epoxied, but I do not plan to varnish or paint it for at least a month, probably a bit longer as I still have to add the cockpit cowling, etc. The kayak is epoxied, the fiberglass weave is filled, but the boat is not yet sanded for the final epoxy coat. The garage it is stored in has a south facing skylight where direct sunlight enters. I can move the kayak away from that area, but will the diffused sunlight in the area effect the epoxy? I am reading about UV damage and concerned. Will a cloth tarp or plastic tarp be a good idea? I prefer to store it in the area that gets direct sunlight. Could I do that if I cover it with a cloth or plastic tarp or is that a bad idea. Thank you very much for your advice.
Unless you’re outdoors in Florida, a month of daytime sun will not hurt the epoxy. Inside a garage through a skylight should be fine. A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t get a sunburn from it in an afternoon, it’s OK for a few months.
Laszlo
fwiw, while i don’t disagree with Laszlo, my perspective is, if you have a clean tarp to throw over it, i would do that.
my boats have lasted a long time without a lot of maintenance…but my main practice is to keep them clean and dry and out of any direct sunlight when they are not being used.
the other advantage of a cover is to keep dirt and other common garage contaminants off the boat. when you pick up a project afrer a while, a rub down/cleaning with denatured alcohol is always a good idea.
h
Howard makes an excellent point about a tarp preserving cleanliness. That’s a good way to avoid fisheyes.
Laszlo
Thank you, Howard. Will a canvas painters tarp (cloth) be acceptable or would a poly tarp be best if the boat is stored indoors or doesn’t it matter? Very appreciative of all advice.
either is fine. just want to ensure it is a dry and a waterproof tarp.
at the same time, you do not want to create the potential to hold moisture against the hull…so i tend to work with poly tarps as they are a bit lighter and dont tend to lay tight on the hull…and provide space for some airflow while protecting it from sun and dirt.
If you want the ultimate protection, something like Sun-DURA cloth is waterproof, UV resistant and breathable. It should protect against any in-garage mishaps and dirt and won’t trap moisture against the boat.
Of course, you get what you pay for so it’ll cost more than a poly tarp or painter’s tarp. On the other hand, if you want to eventually protect your kayak against the elements while driving it around, CLC has a nice cover for the WD-10 on sale for $131. You could buy it now and leave the hull tucked in during construction. Once the boat is finished you could use the cover to protect the boat during transport. That would help amortize the higher cost compared to polytarp.
Laszlo
Thanks for the info. I will take a look at these options.