thanks for all the tips, guys.

Using a plane or a scraper didn't work very well in this particular case -- the "drips" were more like "sheets" that sagged down the sheer because I didn't squeegee well enough (hey, it was my first boat... did much better on the second).

I picked up some silicon carbide sandpaper and tried that for comparison -- it does indeed last longer, at least three or four times longer.

However, what made the biggest difference was switching to a coarser grit. MUCH better. particularly using silicon carbide at 60 grit.
So now I know.

I put on the first coat of varnish -- GORGEOUS.
Heh, and I thought the parking-lot gaping-passersby syndrome was bad BEFORE...

>> Or, appreciate the solitude as you lose your inner being into the whine of the sander while you meditate on the patterns formed on the surface of your boat.

Lately I've been plugging in my walkman headphones, dialing in NPR's saturday-morning comedy programs, and meditating on how my neighbors must think I'm a nut case... standing outside sanding for hours on end throwing off great clouds of dust and laughing apparently at nothing.