: I'm wondering about the timing of varnishing. I've seen some
: dire warnings about the effects of sun on epoxy, and that you
: should never let sunlight hit unprotected epoxy.

It takes months and possibly years for UV to degrade epoxy (unless you live in the Tropics or someplace equatorial like that). A couple of weeks isn't going to do any damage. Waiting, on the other hand, will drive you nuts. So when you get the fitting out done, go paddle. And don't forget to tell us how the boat handles please.

I paddled my Tern for 6 months before I varnished. This allowed me to see if there were any areas that needed reinforcing on the keel(sacraficial glass) and as an added bonus the epoxy was fully cured when it came time to wet sand. The process was rather enjoyable.

Larry