Tim E

Actually havent put an iron to them yet. I can attest though that a 3500 mile roadtrip on the roof of a minivan, from subzero Montreal to balmy Florida and back, had absolutely no effect on the shape, size, or appearance of the bubbles.... :-) Tim

It is a bubble/bulge of the fabric, no separation of the paint. There is nothing to pop as it isnt sealed against the stringers. I am going to try putting an iron to it if I get a chance before loading the kayak up tomorrow for a trip.

Well, will see how my experiment works, whether it makes a difference with bubbling. I put a coat of oil primer down first before the antirust oil based color coats. The primer definitely does a much better job filling the weave and pinholes, but it did seam to relax the fabric a bit - the rear deck is a little floppy now. It didnt bleed through much if at all. Also it changed the feel of the fabric - more stiff and cardboardy than just the straight paint. A this point, I am probably leaning towards wouldnt do it again, but will see what happens over time. ( 8oz original polyester ) Sorry, the kayak is a brand Y, but the skin, lashing, and backband are Kudzu! :-)

8oz original for me. Stringers are WRC, i wouldnt consider the stuff we get here anything close to oily. The frame did get a coat or two of danish oil though. The rest of the skin is still tight - I dont think it has relaxed much, if any. Tim

It is the skin lifting away from the frame. 1st coat was not thinned, and was very light. The skin is not stuck to the frame as far as I can determine, though I am sure there are spots of bleed through where it has bonded a bit. The kayak has been stored in a coolish basement. And Robert, no worries on the grandpa comment, I figured it was something along that lines. And if not, I have been called worse things in my life! :-) Tim

The boys got both sides of me. They each built their kayaks about 95% by their own hand. My oldest I had to remind several times throughout about the importance of attention to details. My youngest I had to remind many times that it doesnt need to be "perfect", it just needs to float ... :-) Latex it will have to be for any future builds, I got the dregs of the oil based at the store. Tim

Thanks, it is always good to hear that you arent the only one with a problem! :-). This new one is skinned in the same fabric and is ready for paint - just hoping not to have the same bubbling show up. I am going to try an oil primer down first and see if it makes any difference. If nothing else it should limit the color bleed visible inside the cockpit. We are going to gently go at the bubbles on the other with an iron, see what happens. It is my son's build, and he is very fussy about things being right. No idea where he got that from .... :-) Tim

Hi. I skinned last winter with Kudzu 8oz original and painted with an oil based anti-rust enamel ( the only tintable oil base sold around here ). The paint went on well, looks great, has worn well, but over the winter a whole bunch of bubbles have developed along the gunwhales and a few along the chines. There were two or three small bubbles that showed up a couple weeks after painting last winter, but they have multiplied considerably in this winter's storage! Any ideas?