I was in the same "boat" you're in.  Rookie builder and very poor looking fillets.  I chose to go with black as an interior color.   I accomplished this by mixing graphite powder with the epoxy and rolling it on.  I also chose to use a liberal mix of graphite powder.  Probably very close to 55% graphite 45% epoxy.  This gave me a very fine non-skid surface that was black.  I did not tip it with a brush afterwards because I liked the "non-skid" texture.  It also covered up every single imperfection the in the cockpit, and there were a lot of them!

Good luck

NP - That sounds perfect.  I don't know squat about using graphite but I'm sure there's plenty of info on this forum.  Thank you!

Snooc,

If you research you will find that the epoxy graphite mix is most often used on the exterior bottom due to its great resistance to scratching or gouging.  While it will probably work fine as an interior finish, I would be concerned about how hot the interior of the boat will get in the sunshine.  Especially if you live in a warm climate.  I painted the interior of my Mill Creek 16.5 with Brightsides dark green paint.  It has been on there over 3 years and is holding up very well.  You can see it in pictures 12, 13, & 39 of the MC 16.5 Main Photo Gallery in the CLC on-line catalog.

 Also, if you look thru the CLC catalog, I think you will see that most painted interiors are white or an off-white.

Happy Building

PAG

Snooc,

I'm not sure where you live but I'm from Northern Illinois.  Black interior color is not an issue with heat when it comes to paddling for me.  However, if you store the boat outside in the hot sun all summer long I suppose that could be an issue.  Just my 2 cents.

NP - I'm in Ohio so I'm not too concerned about the heat but it is a consideration.  I plan to store it on a pulley system in the garage above my Subaru.  I wonder if anyone has ever used a marine carpet on the cockpit floor.  I'm thinking of one that's fitted but removable.  Thanks for the input.

I painted both the interior and the hull of my Merganser hybrid with Interlux Brightside Sunset Tan and am very pleased with the results after a year of hard use. The paint stands up well and sets off the varnished cedar deck. In my opinion, varnished plywood just doesn't look good next to the cedar strips. Photos are posted at http://twofootartist.com/merganser-construction-notes/
-Wes