: For what it`s worth I`ve used The System 3 two part stuff on two different
: boats and I can`t recomend it highly enough. In my opinion it is almost
: too good to be true. Water based, no fumes, water clean up, dries super
: fast, really easy to apply (badger hair brush) compared to varnish, And
: compared to regular varnish it dries rock hard. It`s even harder than
: Chinese aritmetic.

: After a full season I had only a couple of scratches. And that`s a season of
: barnicle crusted rocks, not sandy beaches.

: It is not quite as pretty as a really good varnish job. I`ve used the matte
: and the gloss and after having them around for a couple years I really
: like the matte. Like the other poster at first I didn`t care for the
: duller finish, but now I really like its kind of understated elegance
: compared to shiney, glossy finishes.

: To sum it up, I`d say that if you are building a shrine, or a piece of
: furiture, stick with varnish. For a boat you are going to bang around in
: and actually use day in and day out, I think it`s hard to beat the two
: part.

: Hope that helps.

Also, FWIW, I have an S&G built by somebody else that has a two part glossy finish. This boat's been dragged across some rough surfaces in the surf. Also, when the water is rough and making entry into the small cockpit tough, I like to get in on the water's edge and hand push the boat into the water to launch. Despite this the finish has held up pretty well, better than the gelcoat on my composite. Actually, with a white paint coat underneath, and the two part finish, a lot of folks think the S&G is a factory composite.

sing