Looks great Larry!

There are different schools of thought on this.  Certainly the more varnish you put on, the more UV protection you get.  For a boat that will not see sustained sun and salt for more then a few days at a time, 3 coats is probably fine.  I have always put 8-10 on bare wood that is exposed for a full season, and am doing 6 coats of Epifanes on my Chesapeake, as I tend to lay on my coats pretty thin.  Also, the more coats you do, the deeper the gloss will appear.

So, the short answer is, 3 coats should be enough...

~Chris    

Chris, thanks.  I'm soooo tired of sanding, and having to wet-sand in between varnish coats just means that much more sanding!  I'll probably go 3 to 4, and buff out the last coat for a smooth look..., but my boat probably won't see the sun more than 6 - 8 times a year. 

Will post some better pics when she's done.

Larry

Looks great Larry--your pictures are getting me more fired up to keep pushing on my build. In Colorado at approximatly 5,000 ft above sea level and were it goes up dramatically when heading for the mountain lakes, I need to watch the exposure for skin cancer and I worry about what precautions to take for my kayak as well. I will probably be sick of the sanding just as you are at that point but given the higher exposure to UV I will probably add to your varnished coats tally....CZ

If you have a smooth base try using a Scotch Bright pad between coats. 3M and Norton make a maroon(very fine) and gray(ultra fine) abrasive pad. It will be a lot quicker for scuffing up than paper and you can use it wet to cut down on dust and clean up. Save the paper for the last coat.

Oops... didn't want to hit post yet. Really nice work Larry. I would go with 5 as a minimum. The more the better for UV and it will also lengthen the time between maintenance. Put on a few more coats to protect all of that work.

Thanks everyone.  I'll look for the Scotchbright pads (of course, just picked up another pkg of wet/dry paper...!!!).  Actually, having posted this before wet-sanding my first coat, it went much faster than I would've thought..., so perhaps I'll continue with the paper after all. 

And yes, 5 sounds like a better prime number than 3, so I'm now shooting at that (especially given how much varnish my first wet sanding removed - was getting a little green paint in the slush).

Appreciate the compliments, but it will never pass the 10 ft rule!  Still, as I told someone yesterday, first time I drop it off my truck, it won't matter....

Larry

Larry, your boat looks great.  You used Interlux Poly Varnish from CLC, but I didn't see that as an option under the CLC supplies.  There is Interlux Schooner varnish shown, which CLC recommends.  You've built a lot of boats, so you must have a good opinion here.  I am almost at the point of ordering varnish; should I use the Interlux Poly?  I am making a small boat, a Matunuck.  And how much do you think I should order? 

Dawn

Dawn,

I may have mis-typed that..., I used the Interlux varnish that CLC sells, so go with what's on their website (vice what I typed in my post).

As to amounts, I've used about 30% of my first (of two) cans on the first coat..., anticipating 5 coats I'm sure I'll use it all.  Mine's a 17 footer (and I'm not varnishing the bottom), so on your Matunuck, I'd think 2 cans is plenty.  It rolls on very thin and smooths out (tipped with the foam pads) very nicely..., you'll love how well this stuff levels out. 

Good luck, and post pics when you're finished!

Larry

Dehager,

If you happen to read this, I looked at the Scotch-bright website and found lots of options for cleaning but couldn't narrow down the maroon and gray products you mentioned.  Can you give me more specifics on which ones they are?

Appreciate it; thanks,

Larry

The maroon scotchbright can be found at most auto parts supply places. We use it all the time for surface cleaning.

Dan 

Automotive/ paint or woodworking stores like Woodcraft should have what you need, McMaster Carr is another good source. Norton lists the pads like sandpaper grit.

That didn't format very well...

Norton Abrasives:

(320/400) Primer Prep Maroon P/N: 662610-58000

(600/800) Color Prep Gray P/N: 662610-58002

(1000) Clear Blend Prep Gold P/N: 662610-58005

3M Abrasives:

Aluminum Oxide

Heavy Duty (Medium) 7440 Tan Aggressive action for deburring, blending, and removing rust.

Clean/Scour (Very Fine) 96 Green For removing light stains, corrosion, and oxidation.

All Purpose (Very Fine) 7447 Maroon More abrasive than Clean/Scour. For general cleaning.

Blending (Medium) 7446 Gray Aggressive action for cleaning, blending, and light deburring

Clean/Finish (Ultra Fine) 6448 Dk. Gray A good choice for light cleaning and blending jobs

Final Finish (Ultra Fine) 7448 Lt. Gray For final finishing and light cleaning

Dehager,

Thanks for the details, I've printed it off and will start shopping for those!

Larry