The finish involved putting 2 coats of varnish on the hull and 3 coats on the deck. Lightly sanding with a 320 grit sanding sponge in-between the coats was all that was really required over most of the surfaces. I had to get slightly more aggressive (220 grit) after the 1st coat to clean up some drips/runs, following up with the 320 grit sponge. But after that I learned to do a better job with my brush to eliminate the drips/runs. First 2 coats I used a foam brush, but with the last coat on the deck I used a regular brush specific for varnish. Worked well. Once the varnish hardened I was able to install the hatch latches and deck rigging. Here is what the final product looks like.
I could not be happier! I'll close out this blog with a couple things. First, once I get out on the water I'll update the blog with one last picture showing the launch. I need to get a few accessories first. A wet suit, skirt, paddle float, bilge pump, etc. Soon.
But I have to give a big shout-out to Pygmy boats and their customer support staff for all of the assistance, from the pre-purchase time to just a couple days ago. What great people they are. Specifically, Jim, Laura and Candice. Jim guided me through the discovery of this kayak and helped me tremendously with decision making and advise. Laura and Candice were primarily at the other end of a phone call giving me expert technical advise over the many questions I had during the construction. A few of those were with Jim as well. But I'm sure I had around 50 phone calls into these guys with questions throughout the process. Could not have done this without them. Thanks.
