Silicone and the W/C canoe

[Ron Carter]

Question for Dan Miller, anyone else is welcome to join in. In a recent post Dan commented that silicone rubber and other silicone products should never be used on a W/C canoe. I have no plans to use any at this point but I was wondering if Dan or anyone else would like to expand on the reasons why it isn't a good idea. The thought keeps popping back into my head as to why not.
Ron

 

[Dan Miller]

Because silicones will interfere with future applications of paint and varnish. And once you put silicones on, it is nearly impossible to get it back off.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Which quite literally means that a couple minutes after you apply a nice even coat of fresh paint or varnish you'll start seeing small round holes or bare spots beginning to open up in the new coat. These are called "fisheyes" and you can paint over them again and again and they just keep coming back. Even a surface which has been heavily sanded and/or solvent washed before repainting will often still fisheye if it's had silicone products used on it in the past. Always check the labels of any cleaners or boat polishes that you plan to use on your boat as many of those which claim to restore old, tired finishes contain healthy doses of silicone. Once you watch fisheyes ruin a nice paint job and have to deal with the cleanup needed to get a new finish to lay down properly you'll understand quite clearly that you don't even want silicone products in the same building with your boat.

 

[Ron Carter]

Just what I was looking for!

Thanks to both Dan & Todd. I was sure the reasons were solid based on the firmness of Dan's previous reply. Will proceed accordingly.
Ron