One good reason for sanding between coats is that you can see what you are doing. Trying to varnish on a gloss surface is really hard to do. Varnish will stick to a previous coat that has hardened to a skin. However, as you lay on more varnish it acts like a solvent and starts to soften that hard skin and you create a mess.

One good reason for sanding between coats is that you can see what you are doing. Trying to varnish on a gloss surface is really hard to do. Varnish will stick to a previous coat that has hardened to a skin. However, as you lay on more varnish it acts like a solvent and starts to soften that hard skin and you create a mess as you drag the brush on it.

You can use varnish out of a new can sometimes depending on the brand but often I thin mine a little because you want it to lay out flat with no brush strokes. If it's too thick or the day is too hot it may start to set up before it lays out. Only experience will teach you exactly how much is needed.

A half a can of varnish will thicken faster in the can than a new one so that has to be taken into consideration as far as viscosity.

Most people paint an area about a two foot square with some diagonal strokes overlapping so you don't miss an area and then tip it off with long strokes going with the strips. Then you move on to the next adjacent section. Applying varnish does not take long - maybe a half hour to 40 min for a deck ??

I mask my shear so it doesn't run down when I do the deck or hull which I do separately.

Varnishing is one of those arts that you have to learn by doing and sometimes it gets frustrating with dust etc. Look at the boat from a distance, in the shade and you'll be happy and you will get better with practice. If you use you boat, you will get scratches on both the deck and hull so don't obsess over it.
You can use varnish out of a new can sometimes depending on the brand but often I thin mine a little because you want it to lay out flat with no brush strokes. If it's too thick or the day is too hot it may start to set up before it lays out. Only experience will teach you exactly how much is needed.

A half a can of varnish will thicken faster in the can than a new one so that has to be taken into consideration as far as viscosity.

Most people paint an area about a two foot square with some diagonal strokes overlapping so you don't miss an area and then tip it off with long strokes going with the strips. Then you move on to the next adjacent section. Applying varnish does not take long - maybe a half hour to 40 min for a deck ??

I mask my shear so it doesn't run down when I do the deck or hull which I do seperately.

Varnishing is one of those arts that you have to learn by doing and sometimes it gets frustrating with dust etc. Look at the boat from a distance, in the shade and you'll be happy and you will get better with practice. If you use you boat, you will get scratches on both the deck and hull so don't obsess over it.