: I'm a little (or a lot) disappointed in my choice of water based finishes.

: On my kayak, I used a product called Crab Coat, which I was told is a
: "short oil." The website says: "Crab Coat© is water clean
: up, although not water-based." On my son's kayak, I used water based
: Varathane Spar Urethane.

: What I've noticed is that when the finish is wet for a prolonged time, the
: finish gets cloudy. On my kayak I usually see it on my coaming when I've
: had my spray skirt on for a while. I like to roll, so it's usually wet.
: When the kayaks have been on the roof rack for a while, the finish gets
: cloudy/milky where they're in contact with the padding on the rack. Also
: on my son's kayak, the finish has never been totally clear, it's always
: slightly milky and more so when it's wet for a while.

: So, my search for a good finish goes on. If I could get Perfection Varnish to
: work, I'd probably use that, but...See this post:
: http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi/read/152203

: Question: What can I use to remove these finishes that won't damage the
: epoxy? I need to refinish my kayak within the next year and would like to
: start with bare epoxy.

: Thanks,

: Pedro Almeida

Hi Pedro,

I've not tried it, but have had it recommended by others, there are several brands of citrus based paint strippers that should work well for this, nothing in them that would hurt the epoxy.

Bill H.