Pete, unfortunately, Powerboats is a subscription service, sort of the Consumer Reports of boating (they have no advertising, etc; all of their testing is supported by subscription fees). They have a website (powerboat-reports.com), but not much there is available free of charge. If you are a subscriber ($18 a year), you can view the current issue on line. They also send out a published issue to you. Back issue tests and reports are available only for an additional charge. The varnish test was in Nov 2001. You can get it for $10 ($7.50 for subscribers), which will let you download it. I already had a hard copy of the test, which is how I could relay some of the key "findings" If its worth $10 to you, you can get it at their website. But the report is well over a year old now and I'm guessing that they will update it in the next several issues with further observations. If they do, I'll report back. Meanwhile, if you don't want to download a copy for a fee, at least feel free to ask me if there is anything in particular you'd like me to scan the report for.

I might say I hadn't dug out the report since it issued, and rereading it has me thinking of going back to Interlux Schooner. Schooner is one of the best self-leveling varnishes I've ever used and is fairly forgiving in its application. I had begun to use a lot of Epifanes instead, because I like the thick coat it gives. A lot of my varnishing is on the interior mahagony of a boat I keep in the Puget Sound. For my kayak varnishing, I'm beginning to think Schooner would be the better choice. From personal experience, I can sure recommend it as a nice-to-work with product.

: Hi there, Gini.

: That report sounds like interesting reading. If you can't make a link, how
: about a search word to use?

: I've used Flagship a couple of times, and I've found it to be a very fussy
: varnish to use. Others have found the same, and some of them were 'saved'
: when they switched to Captains. I know the CLC demo boats I've seen were
: very nice jobs done using Captains with a brush, and I think Rob Macks is
: a big fan as well.

: Maybe I'm curious about the color change as well.

: Pete Roszyk,
: in Snohomish, WA