Painting Polyethelyene canoe

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Dave31

Active Member
Mar 1, 2008
11,199
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Aztlán, Arizona
My 20 year old Colman poly canoe is really looking faded.It has really been beaten up by the sun over the years.

Been wanting to paint it but everyone keeps telling me not to do it that after a short time the paint will start flaking off and looking worse then it already does.

The only plastic I have painted is door panels and dashboards and stuff and never had a problem.

Just wondering if anyone has had some experience painting a ploy canoe?

Really don't care about the "look". More concerned about keeping my canoe lasting another 20 years.

Not sure If i should try painting it to help keep those uv rays off of it. Or try some Blue magic tr3 Resin Glaze Cleaner & Polish.
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
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I guess the weathers warming up. I never tried painting that stuff or the ABS type that for a canoe I once had. Gluing was sort of a problem. For ABS it was supposed to use something that melted it and it fused back as one once dried.

The idea of a stain as what I suppose those polishes might do, I had enough of trying to have that stuff remove the alkaline dust from the desert on my pickup trucks black coated bumper. It looks good until the stuff dries and the white speckles all show up again.

Maybe a veneer is needed... just joking... don't know except for hobby rattle can paint meant to be good for plastic. Cost for enough of these small cans to paint a canoe may not be practical.

My search had me find that repair and paint of that canoe or fixing with patch is always not so permanent.

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/6122-Painting-a-coleman-canoe

The product I saw as dyes (links below), also quite expensive, but it would be best to really know if it works reliably.

http://www.parasolinc.com/Plastic_Dye_Paint.asp

http://www.parasolinc.com/Products.asp?ProductID=A1-KOLOR
 

Dave31

Active Member
Mar 1, 2008
11,199
47
38
Aztlán, Arizona
Thanks for the links MT.

The more and more I think about, I think I will just leave it as is. It has lasted this long so I'll just keep out of the sun as best I can.

I have no place to store it indoors so all I can do is keep it covered. I've bought those fancy canoe covers but they don't last in the az sun. Now I just keep it tarped and when the tarps fall apart I just buy new ones.
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
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I was seeing the Recolor by Wipe New from Rustolium commercial on TV and though maybe you saw this too. Some searches on internet have shown the wood decks coated with this have some people unhappy with results. Maybe it is OK on plastic as the Rustolium mentioned kayaks.

How much contents in the 19.99 package many places sell of Recolor, then if you use more, then seeing search for bigger cans, quart gallon, cost goes up.

Funny, but maybe the links about rubbing and wiping off after setting a while the surface with Vaseline.

Don't know for sure, but maybe look?

https://www.google.com/search?q=recolor&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

https://www.google.com/search?q=RUS...-8&oe=utf-8#q=RUSTOLEUM+RENEW+FINISH&tbm=shop

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12246

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...waxing-boat-with-vaseline?t=332123&page=1
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
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Nice! I wonder if there is an negative or positive effect other than looks using the coating. I know with vinyl stuff coating with silicone spray is like putting back the plasticizer that ends up over time in hot sun vaporizing out and leaving brittle and susceptible to cracking. It you know is what fogs up the inside of the windshields on automobiles. Maybe you could have used liquid silicone spray, it is sort of maybe like Armor-all. I know they are probably different in make up but helps bring back color and flexibility. I used the Armor-all to help some on pickup trucks black exterior plastic. but the desert dust alkaline properties just make it never to be quite the same. Mothers and what other stuff I bought to recolor it black to the way it was never worked.

Maybe I'll try the Vaseline, but really am not sure as that dust is caustic with moisture and pits it with the white specs never to really get back color.

http://pslc.ws/macrog/work/dash.htm

I where it says ABS plastic replacing PVC plastic on dashboards have no need for the addition of plasticizers in the ABS, but they add it because people like new car smell. Could this really be the case, as you have to clean the film off the windshield inside, and that seems dumb. Anyway another mention of Vaseline on dashboards for the old PVC autos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasticizer
 
Last edited:

johnnywheels

New Member
Nov 19, 2015
14
0
0
Nevada
Wow MT! I just tried the Vaseline on a small area. What a difference! Thank You for the links that's awesome!

Think I will go buy me a big tub of vaseline and do the entire canoe this weekend.
Glad it worked out! Never would have thought Vaseline would do the trick!