When I first came down to Florida I lived in a mobile home park.  Around the corner from my unit was an older man who had an orange kayak sitting up against his home.  I didn’t know a thing about kayaking but offered him $100 for it and he agreed.  I shoved the boat, oar and seat into my car and drove home to try to figure out what I’d bought.  Two years later, my Mainstream Jazz has provided me with hours of fun, excitement and education on the water.   Kayaking got me interested in fishing so I added a fishing pole holder and now catch tons of fish out on the bay and in the mangrove forests.

Since I’m a do-it-myself type girl, I wanted my kayak to look special so I started investigating how to paint a design on it.  The Mainstream Jazz is a bright orange so I wanted some black tribal tattoos on it that would stand out.  Ancient Egyptians painted eyes on the bow of their funeral boats so the boat would find its way home to the gods.  European boats without a Figurehead would be considered unlucky and Native Americans often used fish and turtles on their fishing equipment to insure a good hunt.  Find a design that suits your personality!  Since I wanted a lucky kayak that could find its way home, I selected an “Eye of Horus.” I printed two copies (one reversed for the other side of the yak) for a stencil pattern.  I cut out the black part, measured placement and taped the pattern to the front of the kayak.  Black plastic bags draped over the rest of the kayak area helped prevent spray over.  Using black Krylon Fusion I sprayed three light layers of paint.  After the paint was dry I removed the pattern.  Voila!  It looked great and has lasted for a long time.  If you don’t want to go the paint route you could also use a Sharpie marker and ink on the design lines.  This is most effective for thinner lines or text.  Just remember that the Sharpie lines only last a few seasons but perhaps that’s ok because, unlike the tattoo on your arm, in a year or so your Kayak can have a brand new tattoo.

Here are some tips:

1. make sure the surface is completely clean and dry.
2. keep the design simple so it can easily be seen
3. if you’re having trouble keeping the pattern on the boat, try using repositionable spray glue.  If you’re painting stripes, use blue painter’s tape.

take your time and use very thin layers of paint to prevent drips and insure success.