I am just starting varnishing my Ch17 after finising painting the hull. Between coats of paint I wet sanded using 400g and the paint can out looking like it was sprayed just like CLC instructions said. I just went over each coat of paint to dull it with the wet sandpaper. I am planning on doing the same thing with the varnish on the deck.Hope this is of some help?

 So...somewhere in the area of a "semi-gloss", but not all the way to "satin"?

I do appreciate the input...wanna do the sanding for me?  :-)

Quickstart, did you thin the varnish?  Did you have problems with it streaking, like I have read about?  Joey Schott says he used Penetrol to thin it by 10 percent, and it went on very nicely.  ???  Did you thin it,  and did you begin varnishing the deck yet, which I assume is not painted.  And if so, how is that going?  Streaking?

The amount of wet sanding you do will depend on, what type of finish you want and how smooth the previous coat is. The reason I like wet sanding is, I have more conrol of how much material is removed. I also get to know every inch of the surface.

 This is my philosophy on varnishing, keep in mind, I am a bit obsessive about finishing. The smoother I can make a coat of varnish, the less I have to sand between coats and more varnish is left on the surface. That is the reason I thin and "enhance" my varnish with Penetrol. My formula is 10% mineral spirits and 10% Penetrol added to varnish. I feel that by laying on a super smooth coat, I remove less material and end up with more varnish on the boat.

Sanding is necessary to remove imperfections, level the surface and give the next coat something to adhere too. When I am sanding, I use a foam block to back my paper and eliminate the possibility of finger marks. I also use it as a squegee to wipe off the water, which highlights any low spots. Once the surface is level, it will look "satin" in appearance and it's time for another coat. I use foam rollers and foam brushes to apply it quickly to maintain a wet edge.

Varnish the bottom of the boat first. That will give you an nice, unobstructed surface to perfect your technique. Then move on to the deck with confidence in your ability to give it the "Floating coffee table" look.

I hope this helps, Have a great weekend!