: Hi All-

: I’ve been mulling over what varnish to use.
: I have seen several that say you don’t need to sand between coats.
: Epiphanes makes one, and also Pettite makes Captain’s EZ-Care.
: No sanding between coats, and UV absorbers too.
: They say it can be top-coated with Captain’s or Flagship if a higher gloss is
: desired.

: Has anyone any experience with these products?
: Any good reason *not* to use it?

I just finished my first kayak (a Mill Creek 15) and I used Epifanes Wood gloss topped off with their regular varnish. The wood gloss (did not require sanding) was very difficult for me to apply. I had streaks no matter how meticulous I was. I tried thinning it a bit and I tried applying heavier coats but I continued to have streaks with every coat. I then used their regular varnish and found it MUCH easier to apply. No streaks with an even finish. I wondered later if the use of a foam brush with the wood gloss product caused my problems with it but I don't know. If I had it to do over again, I would skip the wood gloss, just use the regular varnish, and sand (if needed) between coats.

Jenny