> I dont have a clean room. I've tried blowing as much loose dust out with
> the leaf blower (first coat, didnt work too well even after settling out
> and vacuuming the floor). I hand wetsanded 320 grain between coats. I
> tried wetting down the floor (second coat, better than the first). I'd
> like to get a smooth coat with no specks in it. I'd also like to paddle
> this thing sometime this summer.

> How many coats do most people use? Do you all sand it to 1000 grain and
> polish for that "perfect" look? What other tips can I try for
> better results? Forgive my sounding frustrated, the weather is
> improving...

I don't have a clean room, either. Some small things that have helped:

Rig up an air "cleaner". An ordinary furnace air filter taped over the inlet side of a 20" box fan. I've got two rigged up this way. I run them at high speed for at least 1 hour before applying varnish. This gets the big chunks out of the air.

Just prior to varnishing, I walk around the boat perimeter bent over with a spray bottle, spraying my concrete floor. I do two laps. The floor doesn't get soaked, just damp.

When I can, I do one side of the boat, i.e., either the deck or the hull, then flip it over while it dries. The theory is that the settling dust has a tougher time rising up to the sticky surface than simply falling down on it. This may be the most effective of my 'tips'. I don't bother doing it for the first few coats, as they get covered over or sanded away anyway, but for the last, or last two coats, it's a big improvement.

I also use a paint strainer for the varnish, and I go over the about-to-be-varnished surface with a tack cloth.

By the way, if you use the box fan thing, watch out for the cords. I tripped on one last week just as I finished what would have been the final coat on the hull. The cloud of very fine particles created by jostling the fan seemed to be magically drawn to the fresh varnish.

"No specks" may be a tough spec to meet. You reach a point where you can see them from 2' away, but can't feel them with your fingertips. That's where I give up. I buff with a swirl remover, apply an auto wax, and let it go at that.