Just got a canadian canoe for free very good physical condition but it's red and been in the sun so bleeched out. It's plastic, what is the best paint. Oil based gloss?
No I didn't get a canoe stolen. I had never heard of those canoes referred to as "Canadian" since where I live, Canada eh!, all canoes look like that. :lol:
There's a bunch of materials used to make canoes ... wood, canvas, fiberglass, Kevlar, aluminum and plastic. Here in Canada the plastic is much more commonly used for kayaks and represents less than 1% of canoes. Unfortunately once the sun has done its damage there is no effective, long term repair. Some people have tried using auto paint polish to buff out the white & faded surface but the sun's damage goes much deeper than just the surface. I haven't heard of any paint that will bond to the plastic and stay looking good. Most people who have tried painting say that the paint flakes off and the canoe looks worse than it did before painting.
Your canoe has great patina-ish ... just get it wet and have fun
You can buy boat repair paint the will reseal the gel coat. It is a 2 part paint the you mix like glass fibre resin and paint on. You then roll it out to make it uniform. Search on line for gel coat repair or gel coat painting.
Thejinx mentioned his boat is plastic. Nothing but the same polyethylene plastic will bond to the hull. It would be like trying to MIG weld aluminum with steel wire because the chemical properties are not compatible.