: Well, I esentially took all the advice offered, and went back over the boat
: with more mineral spirits, then sanded some more, then buffed it with a
: Scotch Brite and alchohol. Then I applied the most meticulous coat of
: epoxy I have yet applied, and she is beautiful today.
: After applying the first coat of varnish, I got a rash on my wrist under my
: watch band. After stripping the varnish with mineral spirits, I got a rash
: along the inside of my thumb. Putting two and two together, I of course
: got three: I'm reacting to mineral spirits, or; something else in the
: varnish, or; something to do with the reaction between latex gloves (which
: aren't impermeable to mineral spirits) and the solvent. Fortunately, some
: of the advice I have heeded along the way pertains to the use of chemical
: respirators, which I wear without fail, and my reaction was merely a minor
: irritation.
: Anyway, that's why I decided to put a coat of epoxy on instead of the
: urethane varnish. I am in a rush, as I am taking some friends down the
: Wild and Scenic Missouri River and we leave tomorrow. Upon return, I will
: probably try some of the water based Varathane varnish and see how me and
: the boat like it. I'll maybe post a pic later today, I did some veneer
: work on the deck from front to back, and she is pretty to my eye, at
: least.
: A million thanks to all, more to come as I finish my Coho, which features a
: much more exotic veneer theme.
: Thanks,
: Bob
I to used the Minwax Helmsman on two boats and both times found that it took multiple days to dry the first coat. The first boat was still sticky in spots after 5 days. I wiped it down with paint thinner and checked it the next day. It was totally dry. The rest of the coats dried normally. The second went better but the first coat was still slow. On the next boat which should be ready to varnish next week I will try using a rag to apply the first coat to see if a thinner coat helps or just makes the second coat dry slowly also.

Greg