If your a bluewater paddler and your blades never touch anything but aqua go with something fancy like "french polish". If your like me and you dig your paddle into the bottom when you go aground or you use your paddle to ward off a fast approaching boulder on some rapid then use something that can survive the hit. My epoxy coated paddles aren't pretty but they have survived a lot of mistreatment. I expect my rack of paddles to be around long after I'm gone.
Charlie

: As you can see in the picture, one of these paddles is ready for finishing.
: My question is do I have to coat it with epoxy first then sand that to a
: dull finish then varnish the paddle? That's how I did my kayak. Can I skip
: the epoxy and go right to the varnish and still get a great finish?