How to Paint a Homemade Kayak

Building your own kayak is rewarding in more ways than one. The building of the craft gives a feeling of accomplishment and produces a custom-made boat to meet your needs and desires. The final step is painting and sealing the boat. For homemade wood and strip kayaks, this includes adding deck designs, varnish and lacquer options and then sealing the ensemble with a clear acrylic varnish to waterproof it.

Things You'll Need

  • Saw horses
  • Sponge brushes
  • Marine-grade varnish and paint
  • Stencil designs (optional)
  • Clear acrylic varnish
  • Drop cloth
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Spread out the drop cloth and set the saw horses on the cloth. Place the kayak, cockpit side up, on the saw horses.

    • 2

      Add any design to the deck using stencils or hand painting. Use marine-grade paints. Give the design time to dry and cure.

    • 3

      Varnish the kayak top using a marine-grade varnish and sponge brushes. Sponge brushes apply the varnish onto the wood in even lines. Overlap each new line of varnish by 1/2 inch. Let the varnish dry 24 hours.

    • 4

      Flip the kayak over and varnish the underside using sponge brushes and the 1/2 inch overlap. Let the varnish dry.

    • 5

      Add a second coat of varnish to the kayak, top and bottom, and let the second coat dry 24 hours.

    • 6

      Apply a clear varnish to seal the deck and hull.