I'm just starting to finish my Pygmy Osprey HP (my second HP), and have a couple questions about the final stages. (Sorry if these are FAQs I missed somewhere.)
1. When I sanded down the epoxy prior to varnish, I used 80, then 100 grit. It sure seems smooth enough to varnish now. (Washing the boat down with water, it looks awesome!) So is there any value to sanding the epoxy with even finer grit if I'm just going to cover it all with varnish? One site said go to 200 grit or even finer before varnish. That seems too fussy. Or am I missing something?
2. In a few very small spots, I sanded through the glass. I'm assuming this is no big deal, so long the wood is epoxy saturated (I also recoated these spots with straight epoxy) and covered with multiple coats of varnish. Is that right?
3. Why sand between varnish coats? Besides, of course, removing dust and sags? If one coat goes on smooth as glass, why sand any off before the next coat?
4. Is varnish an okay "filler" for any very tiny sags, pits and ripples in the epoxy that the sander did not completely wipe out? (Really, the ones I notice are dang near invisible anyway.) Is THAT one goal of sanding between varnish coats -- to give the hull contours even smoother lines? For instance, is it okay to lay on enough varnish to smooth the transition from "rub strip"/tape edges to hull?
Thanks for any thoughts. I'm racing to launch before the rivers and lakes freeze in New Hampshire.
Grambo