Tumblehome88

I guess you shouldn't believe everything they tell you at HD.

I'm happy to report that things have improved. I added two libral coats of Helmsman Spar Urethane with a foam brush, paddled upstream and upwind on a nearby river and floated down for a good 20 minutes to eliminate any paddle drippings, and saw no leaks. When I applied the ZAR, I used a technique that CLC recommends--putting the varnish on in one direction and then going across it to eliminate any holidays. It is possible that this made the ZAR too thin. The Helmsman seems much thicker and I think it due to this technique rather than an inherent quality of the ZAR. I'll take the canoe on a longer paddle soon, but I'm confident that is now waterproof! Thanks for all the comments.

Thanks for all the replies. I feel a little silly because I went to a lot of trouble to find the Zar polyurethane when the Minwax Helmsman Spar Varnish is available 15 min. away. I'm thinking that there is some problem w/ the Zar filling the loose weave on the 8 oz. Dacron. I plan to get some Helmsman Spar Varnish today, apply w/ a foam brush (what I used before), and use the light-on-a-stick to check for pin holes. If I still have a sweaty inside, I'll try painting. It turns out that you cannot buy oil-based paint in NH so I'll have to go w/ a latex. I'll post the results of this later.

Hi Kudzu (and others), The 8 oz. Dacron I bought from you and used on my Geodesic Aerolite Arrow 14 canoe has developed leaks after only three paddles, the longest being 16 mi. Water oozes in like beads of sweat on most areas that I can see. This in spite of 5 coats of Zar exterior polyurethane. Is the best solution to paint over w/ an oil-based paint, or is there a more fundamental problem, meaning start over? Thanks! P. S. Just joined forum, subscribe to MAIB and have built 11 boats, 5 kayaks, 5 canoes, 1 sailboat, live in NH.