: . . I had sworn that when the time came to
: revarnish I would sand the whole thing off and redo the deck down to the
: waterline.

Don't sand it off! Your lungs don't need all those little pieces of glass.

Instead, use heat to soften the resin and just peel off the layer of glass, along with all the resin and varnish which soaked into it or covered it. Use a knife or putty knife to loosen a starting edge at the stern, then grab the exposed glass with a pair of pliers, heat a small area, and lift away the glass. Move the heat and peel the next area. Work toward the bow. When you get a big piece separated from the hull, cut it off (leaving yourself something to grab for removing the next section) and throw it away. No dust, no grinding.

Once you have peeled off the glass, which should go fairly quickly, you will have a rough finish of epoxy which was softened and reshaped. You can remove this with light sanding. It is soft and the sanding goes quickly. Just smooth the surface. Don't sand through this. YOU'll have the benefits of a seal coat (already applied) and even coloration. You can layup a new layer of glass as soon as you wipe off the dust.

PGJ