My MN 2 came from an outfitter who at the end of season coated it with varnish to improve its look.

It is flaking and needs to be fixed before I take it out this summer.

Has anyone fixed this type of problem before without just covering it up with more varnish?

I do not want to send it out to any place to have it redone. Just looking for what others have done to remedy this.

Thanks,

Are you talking about varnish on wood gunwales? If its only in a few spots, then give it a local sand and re-coat. If worse than that, sand the whole thing well and proceed. Revarnishing is smething that has to be done every few years, more often sometimes if the boat is stored outside. Best results are always achieved by sanding everything and applying several thin, even coats, letting dry between coats, and sanding smooth as you build up the coats.

Moonman

Your canoe has already been given a cosmetic treatment of varnish and there is no telling how that was done.

THREE things to remember about varnishing a hull:

SURFACE PREPARATION
SURFACE PREPARATION
SURFACE PREPARATION

Take your time, and do it right. Look at the advice from RedRock.... Good hints by following the link

Refinishing your Souris River Canoe

Thanks,

Its a MN 2. No wood at all on it. Kevlar

Is varnishing a Kevlar canoe a good idea? Seems like it is a cheap way to cover up scratches and does nothing for repair.

If I am going to sand this canoe down, would I be better off to put a thin coat of epoxy on it instead of varnish.

Did you read the advice from RedRock ? Yes, varnish is OK for kevlar. You want a good quality marine spar vanish like Petit Flagship. But there are others.

You might think of sanding down and putting down a compatible epoxy coat...... good luck with that. Epoxy tends to produce a finish like an orange. Wood boat builders will sand the epoxy down before varnish application.

Important! even if you thought of doing a coat of epoxy, you will still need to apply several coats of varnish to block UV.

Head the caution of RedRock and do not sand to the point where you bite into the cloth. You will then be left with a fuzzy hull

You cannot dodge the work of surface prep if you want a good varnish job. The fact that your current varnish is flaking suggests a sloppy prep job.

If you want pretty.......... your choices are few.

Thanks, looks like good info.