Hi Rob,

The hand varnishing is not bad. I am following your proceedure. My main problem are the overlaps between each section. You can see a small step in the reflection where the varnish overlaps. I don't have any runs, in the worst case a minor sag.

I started with a very fair hull and made sure that I sand enough to keep it fair but not sand through the varnish, i.e. not the entire surface is perfectly matt when I finish with sandpaper. I typically use 320 paper to make sure that I don't sand through the coat.

I don't think that I will remove even the last coat entirely when I polish. I let actually every coat harden for one week before applying the next one.

Alternatively I am considering spraying the last coat instead of polishing.

: If you're going to polish your varnish, I'd suggest practicing on a test
: panel first.

: Most of the people I've seen try this have quickly polished right throught
: the varnish and
: into the resin before they realized it. This is visually detectable when you
: see faint halos
: appear on the surface where the varnish has been removed.

: IF you're going to polish you'd be advised to have six coats or more of
: varnish to work with AND
: they need to be totally cured to harden to a surface that will polish well.

: Why do you wish to polish in the first place? Are having problems getting a
: good surface on your varnish?

: Unless you're hanging your boat on the wall or selling it for $20,000,
: polishing will be a big waste of time
: for a working boat. AND it is quite time consuming even, if you know what
: you're doing

: It's much easier to have a great surface just by letting the varnish do it's
: thing. For tips on applying a good
: varnish finish check the archives on my varnishing tips.

: All the best,

: Rob Macks
: Laughing Loon CC&K
: www.LaughingLoon.com