Hi Bart :

I painted the interior of a kevlar canoe with Benjamin Moore Deck paint ( it had been damaged in a run-in with a car ). Mostly I've
been satisfied with the results. A coupla nickel sized spots have been retouched over the last 5 years or so but that's been an easy
fix. I suspect an exterior would as you suggest would require a yearly re-do. Bottom-line there was no major flaking of the paint. I
will add however that in the case of interior, the kevlar layup is not fully wetted, so to produce a less slippery surface and a
smoother exterior might require more roughing up with sandpaper and that may produce less of a bond with the paint.

Good Luck,
Te Canaille

"Bart" wrote in message ...
I've got a Wenonah Vagabond solo canoe in Kevlar ultralight layup. I chose
it over the more durable Kevlar flexcore (with gelcoat) because of the
weight saving.

I don't mind the yellowy 'see through' look of the boat but do catch myself
thinking, this would look the business with an off-white hull too.

So I am wondering, could one split the weight difference between a 'naked'
Kevlar canoe and one with gelcoat on it, by using, say, automotive spray
paint?

Clearly it wouldn't have the durability and flexibility of gel coat but I
wouldn't even mind sanding and repainting the thing once a year or so, as
long as I have a very light boat that looks great and has a bit of UV
protection thrown in.

Has anyone painted their kevlar ultralight canoe before?

TIA Bart