> In Chris Kulczycki's book "The Kayak Shop" page 127 he says
> "I use Z-Spar's Captain's Varnish for 90 percent of my work. If I'm
> feeling bold, I might use Z-Spar's Flagship varnish on the final coats,
> since it builds a little thicker. However, I'd never use it as a first
> coat because it doesn't dry well over epoxy."

Dave,

I've used Z-Spar Flagship over West System epoxy, first coat included, with no problems. It dried hard and comletely (I have tested it, albeit unintentionally, on some very hard rocks). The epoxy had cured 3 - 4 weeks and was wet sanded before I varnished. It is important to let the epoxy cure completely before applying the varnish. This could take a week or more under average conditions.

Most high quality marine spar varnishes (Z-Spar, Interlux, Epiphanes, etc ...) should work fine over an epoxy coating. If in doubt, test a small area. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for, and a top of the line varnish will set you back some bucks.

Varnish on,

Michael