: I spent all day cleaning my shop so I can finally start varnishing my
: Guillemot ES. On an earlier kayak, I used masking tape at the sheer when I
: varnished the hull so I did not get varnish on the deck till It's turn. I
: repeated this process with every coat on hull as well as deck. My question
: is: How do you guys handle the varnish transition from hull to deck? Is
: there an easier way than my sheer taping method?

: TIA,
: Larry C.

I haven't bothered with taping. Instead, when varnishing the hull, I don't go all the way to the sheer-- I leave about an inch or two as a transitional area--that way I've got room to brush out the varnish and don't have any drips forming on the upside down deck (not that it would be a big deal to wipe along the edge with a rag after applying a coat of varnish or to sand off the varnish drips later). Then, when it's time to do the deck, I flip the boat over, lightly sand the varnish in the "transitional area", and varnish the deck and over the side of the hull to where I'd left off.

Or, if you wish, you could varnish the deck first & over the side of the hull, and then turn the boat over to do the rest of the hull afterwards. There's nothing that says that the line of demarcation between what you varnish with the boat right side up & what you varnish with the boat upside down needs to be at the sheer.

Julie Kanarr