Yellow!

I painted the frame of the kayak yesterday and today with Tremclad paint. I used the stuff because it stands up well to moisture and didn't require any priming, plus it's glossy. However, it really stinks! It's an oil-based paint in a strong-smelling Varsol-type solvent. My timing on this was really poor as we've just been hit with snow storms and a cold spell (my bike ride to work this morning was miserable!). Not only do I need to run my heater more now to keep the garage a decent temperature, but I can't even open up the doors to air things out properly. If I had realised how much this paint stinks, I probably would have just given the frame a coat of varnish using the good stuff (high solids, less solvent) left over from the guillemot and only painted the coaming. However, once I started, I was pretty much committed to going with the yellow paint.

Below is one of the floor boards from the cockpit, supported by 4 finishing nails through a scrap of wood. This allows me to get a coat of paint onto each side of the piece and the nails leave only small marks in the paint (and they'll be underneath anyway).

Tomorrow night I think I'll give the frame a final coat of paint in the areas that are visible, or could use the additional protection (the plywood edges). Then maybe, just maybe, I'll be ready to start skinning on Wednesday.