Canoe Paddle question

[Alixander Beck]

using WRC, what would you coat the paddle with?

I am looking at the choice between a varnish and natural oils such as linseed.

I am interested in hearing your pros and cons of each.

thanks
Alix

[frosh]

If you want the paddle to last with almost no maintenance I recommend the following method which I used on my WRC paddles.
Coat with 2 layers of a low viscosity epoxy resin with the 2nd coat applied before the first one is fully cured, but a little more cured than touch dry.
Allow a few days to fully cure. Sand down throroughly with 240# sandpaper, and then coat with about 3 coats of clear polyurethane clear varnish.

[Alixander Beck]

agreed, that'll encapsulate the paddle the best and give the longest life for sure. The epoxy would also help with those small dings etc on the soft WRC. I have opted to expense with the epoxy (can't be bothered) and go straight to the polyurethane. 2/5 coat is drying as I type.

thanks!

[PAR]

If using just a polyurethane coating, use as many coats as you can (10 or more, 20 being great), which will slowly harden the surface of the WRC and provide some repair room, when it gets scratched.

[frosh]

PAR suggests 10 to 20 coats of polyurethane varnish if you are going to skip the epoxy step. And it still will be inferior to my method. Just where is the economy unless you have endless time on your hands and you can get the polyurethane for free? Believe me, I have already done the exercise, and it works a treat.

[Alixander Beck]

I have just finished coat 6 of the polyure and everything is looking great. I'm not going to go with 20 coats of polyure....it seems over kill to me for something that doesn't live in water all the time.

[frosh]

It is too late to follow my recommendations now. It will look a treat after 6 coats of clear polyurethane. Will the paddle ever hit anything harder than another piece of WRC? If the answer is yes, most likely, then tell us again in a few months if the paddle still looks as good.
BTW when you asked the question in your first posting had you already done anything to the timber at all apart from sanding? If you had, then why bother putting your question up to forum in the first place.

[Alixander Beck]

Originally Posted by frosh

It is too late to follow my recommendations now. It will look a treat after 6 coats of clear polyurethane. Will the paddle ever hit anything harder than another piece of WRC? If the answer is yes, most likely, then tell us again in a few months if the paddle still looks as good.
BTW when you asked the question in your first posting had you already done anything to the timber at all apart from sanding? If you had, then why bother putting your question up to forum in the first place.

Wow. I was just looking for opinions. Don't get all bent out of shape that I didn' follow your method to the tee. There was never any expectation made that I would follow your advice nor should you have made the assumption that because your method is the best I would have followed it anyway.

Canoe paddles are meant to be used, this one will be used and subsequently will take some abuse and not look as good as it did the day It was made. Such is life and it is unavoidable.

Check your ego. I have no need for anymore of your "recommendations"

[frosh]

Hey, why ask smart people their opinion if you have already decided to do it your way . Have you heard of waste of cyberspace?

[Alixander Beck]

Originally Posted by frosh

Have you heard of waste of cyberspace?

Oh that's hilarious!!! Seriously, absolutely hilarious - good one.

Yes, I'm wasting virtual space. I'm wasting space on an intangible, digital idea. Oh man that's rich....

I asked here because of the vast array of intelligence and experience. I have taken everything I have read here and put it into my "vault" - whether I choose to use it, how I choose to use it or when I choose to use it is of none other's concern but my own.

In this situation, for this project I decided not to take your advice. That does not imply I did not listen to it or learn from it, only that I found it non-applicable for this project and for the project's desired end result.

The paddles that I build for others that will get more use/abuse recieve "your" recommended treatment. (edit. epoxy under poly is a method that everyone uses and is aware of and therefore I assumed had understood redundancy to this thread and why I specifically asked about poly vs oils). The paddles I build for myself do not require such durability. In thinking about your recommendation of a coat of epoxy first, I have thought about my epoxy/poly method which uses multiple coats of epoxy before multiple coats of poly. - this clearly demonstrates that I have listened and considered your recommendations and have not in fact "wasted" precious virtual "cyberspace"

This thread is done.

[frosh]

Agreed in full.