A few points to consider about stain. If you want to get an idea of the color you could easily do a sample patch some place that it will not show. Apply the stain then wet the surface to get an idea of what it will finish like. I don't have any experince with epoxy over stain but I dout it would be a problem. One of the big problems with stain is that it shows ANY scraches you may leave while sanding. It will even show places where you may not have sanded as much or used different grits. STAIN IS VERY UNFORGIVING. It will also tend to hide or "muddy" the true character of the wood. One more thing to consider is that all wood will darken over time when it is exposed to light. And hey it's a lot less work not to stain. I hope you enjoy your boat however dark or light it may be, Steve