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