Hi Chip
I'm not sure I'd apply it to the whole boat. As Patsy hinted earlier, it might be a bit too strong visually on a whole boat. When I do a shellac wash on wood, I apply it with a rag dipped in the alcohol dissolved shellac flakes or shellac from a can. Make sure to wear rubber gloves. I just add enough shellac to tint the wood. Because the solution is so thin, more of it soaks into end grain, bringing out any flame or figure in the wood. I suggested this technique for those instances where you might have a very nice chunk of cedar with some figure in it, using shellac on that instead of using a heavy chunk of wood like padauk. Although it wouldn't turn the cedar "red" it could make it visually interesting which is why the other woods are considered in the first place. That link I included in my original post in this thread really shows what a shellac wash can do with nice grain. It wasn't used as the finish, just as a wash to pop the grain.

:What else : can you say about it. It darkens/adds contrast to the grain? Apply it with
: a brush? I think I have some old Behlen flakes lying around - I might have
: to test it out. How much flake do you add to the alcohol?