: Hi Rob,

: There has been a lot of discussion about tack cloth on this board. Which
: brand do you recommend? I presume that you just drag the cloth over the
: surface.

: How do you transition between the hull and deck? Tape?

I don't have a clue on tack cloth brands, I think they're pretty similar. Cost less than $2. at your paint store. Keep it in a zip lock bag. It's like sticky cheese cloth, you open and refold the surfaces to use a new tacky surface.

USE ONLY before and between varnish coats. The last thing before you brush should be a LIGHT pass over the surface to remove dust specks.

I think static on the first coat is no big deal. It's gone by the second coat and any dust specks are easily gone with a light wet sanding with 220 paper.

I think washing with detergent or anything other than water is asking for more trouble than just waiting for the second coat to eliminate static.

My kayaks have an edge at the joint of the deck and hull on the sheer line, so I don't have any varnish transition issues. I just varnish up to the edge and stop. No line visable in the varnish.

All the best,

Rob Macks
Laughing Loon CC&K
www.LaughingLoon.com