> Does anyone have any experience with Epifane Varnish? The big boat
> biulders in my area say thats what they use and is suposed to be easyer to
> use than Z-Spar. Is it worth the cost of a badger hair brush or can you do
> just as good a job using foam brushes? Once you put on the last coat of
> varnish can you sand lightly and then wax?

Chris,

I used Epifane's varnish that was formulated for teak. Given that we apply over epoxy, the fact that it was made for teak isn't a concern, but this particular formulation needs no sanding between coats as long as you re-coat within 3 days. I used this on my one and only kayak thusfar, so I can't compare it to Z-Spar, but it scratched easier than I expected. I have a good-sized scratch on the aft deck from a paddle scraping across it during rolling practice this summer, and a lot of scratches on the hull. I wonder if Z-Spar is any harder.

I'm planning on using a polyurethane clearcoat on the kayak #2 that I'm now building.

Dean