>

> The thickness of the varnish is a major factor in blocking the
> UV light rays. Unless you have real thin varnish, three coats should
> be adequate for UV protection. Put on more if you want a thicker finish
> for looks. If you are afraid you have not put on enough, you can always
> add more throughout the year, too. When the boat gets too heavy, sand
> off the excess, or remove the varnish with a solvent.

> That's about right. You might get away with a pint (1/2 liter)
> next year, particularly if there are few scratches and dings. unless
> there is a great sale, though, go for the quart can. You can use the
> excess on your wooden paddles. If they get much abuse you may need
> to redo them more often than the kayak.

> About the same amount. Somewhere between a pint and a quart.
> The size of the boat is a big factor here. Bigger boats take more
> varnish. Larger cockpits take more varnish. Sealed areas fore and
> aft might get one coat of varnish, or three, or none at all.

> Yearly is good. Plan on either doing this at the end of the boating
> season, or the beginning. If you store your boats in a sunny area
> you can see that it will need more varnish. Lightly sand out the scratches
> and put on another coat or two. If the boats is mostly protected (
> garage or under a tarp) you might not need to varnish it for two years.
> Waiting three years might be stretching things unless the boat was
> in storage.

Is it really necessary to apply varnish to cockpit area? I garage my boat, use a cockpit cover while transporting and use a sprayskirt. I dont want to put varnish in cockpit because I might want to do some custom attachments for water bottle, pump etc. and will need to do more epoxy work.

Larry