Open Gunwale Varnishing

[Songololo]

Soon I'll be finishing the interior of an Oughtred Wee Rob canoe which has open gunwales. These have openings which are (in plan view) 7/16'' (11 mm) by 4'' (100 mm) in size. The interior will be painted and the gunwales varnished.

A few questions regarding the gunwale spaces and interior/gunwale interface:

• Varnish before painting or paint before varnishing?
• Other than using a suitably sized small brush, is there an easier way of varnishing the insides of the gunwale openings?
• Any other tips, tricks or suggestions on how to make this part of the finishing as enjoyable as possible ?

[James McMullen]

1. Always varnish before paint! It's ever so much harder to try to get paint stains to go away than to just cover over a varnish stain.

2. I don't think there is an easy way. Tedious and finicky, alas.

3. I recommend the liberal application of a tasty malt beverage both before, and especially after the process.

Good luck!

[TerryLL]

2. I don't think there is an easy way. Tedious and finicky, alas.

Those open gunwales are a serious nuisance to varnish, and the line between paint and varnish is almost impossible to get just right. The inside of the slots is a real tricky area. Should it be the hull color, or should it be varnished, and where is the right place for the paint/varnish line?

On my current build I did something a bit different to make the job easier. For the laminated inwale I first glued on a thin strip (1/4 by 1-1/4), which serves no other purpose than to provide a hidden line for the hull paint, and a clear line to end the bright finish. On top of that thin inwale strip I glued on the spacer block, and then two more lams to complete the slotted inwale.

Here's a pic taken from the inside of the hull looking up at the underside of the slotted inwale. The fist thin inwale strip lies against the hull, then the spacer blocks, and then the last two inwale lams.




When it comes time to paint and varnish, the paint will end where the hull planking meets the inwale strip, and the entire inwale will be finished bright, including the inside of the slots. The paint line will be on the underside of the inwale strip and will be hidden from view.

Here's a pic of the finished sheer taken from above. I also added a thin strip to cover the plywood edge.

[Brian Palmer]

Varnish the inside of the top strake instead of paint. That will give you a nice straight line between the varnish and paint instead of working around the inside of the gunwales.

Brian

[David G]

I varnish first - not being all that careful of the gaps, as they get painted later. I paint in those gaps using a small brush... being slightly more careful. Where the paint slops over the varnish at the top of the gaps... I keep a thinner-dampened rag handy and just wipe off the excess paint. A little practice (and you'll get plenty with all those gaps) and you'll be able to leave a nice consistent line. No further maintainance painting is likely to be necessary, but subsequent varnish coats are done with a dampened rag, and any drips or overlaps are cleaned up immediately (otherwise, they leave an odd amber-tinted patch on your paint).

In the right circumstances - I like the notion of varnishing the interior of the top strake - thus leaving yourself a simple, clearly defined break point. One could, I suppose, even create a false top strake - if necessary.

[Gib Etheridge]

You might try painting/varnishing these areas after dry fitting and before final installation.

[Gerarddm]

What Gib said. Why bother with finicky final finishing when you can get to it easier when you have accessible components?

[David G]

You might try painting/varnishing these areas after dry fitting and before final installation.

Yes, definitely! I much prefer doing this - when I can. Sometimes, though, it's more trouble than the alternative. Just depends upon the circumstances.

[Songololo]

Sorry .... too late for that ... I prefer to do things the hard way

[JimConlin]

foam brush

[Yeadon]

foam brush

Totally agree. I get a lot more control in those fussy spots with a barely damp foam brush. Also, it's important to remember "it's just a little boat," and if you do things right, you'll just go use the boat and screw up the varnish again.

[Breakaway]

On my little skiff I painted the interior up to the sheer. Then installed the spacers and rails, varnishish them, wiping off "oopsies" as per David G's post. If you varnish pre-install and are depending upon glue like I was, you cant varnish the parts ahead of time, lest you risk a substandard bond.