Congratulations on getting your Night Heron in the water! I'll let others answer about varnish drying time. I have 4 coats of Schooner on the rub rail on my boat Practice, and would like to get a couple more on. The bottom is finished with graphite and epoxy. I proved how tough it was when I rowed into a barnacle covered rock just below the surface. Whatever scratches you have, I would suggest sanding. If they can't be sanded out, you could apply epoxy over them and feather sand the edges. Basically, whatever scratches there are, they will show through the varnish. I've read many times that if you just wet it with water, that's what it will look like with varnish on it, and the limited experience I have with varnish, I would concur.

Keith

A quick and very short survey of friends who know about varnish yields a range of answers, but five days seems to be a consensus...but some people say once the varnish passes the thumbnail test, go for it. I would tend to varnish one weekend and go paddling the next.