Yet more sanding and its time for paint. I laid out a tape line a bit in on the deck, this way the paint will hide the deck joint. You can also see the modified cradle. I took some strapping from the ratchet ties (got a bit gooped up with epoxy) and made a simple sling cradle. This should keep the hull from getting scratched, but will let me move things around a bit for painting. |  |
 | Three coats of paint later. I picked a good quality floor paint as its tough enough for dragging across the beach, but not too expensive. Anti-fowling paint would be overkill. |
I let the paint cure for a week s and then reversed the tape. Three coats of good spar varnish was used on the deck and combing. I finished off with two coats that were thinned so I got a smooth finish. The interior was coated in exterior Varathane (no need to get too fancy on parts that would be scratched up by the paddler). |  |
 | I picked up some stencil sheets at the craft store for the decoration on the seat and hull. I don't have a steady enough hand to do this without the stencil. |
The final product. I added a couple of conduit brackets to attach rope handles. This will also give me a place to add a tow line or painter later on. |  |
