: I'm going to be attaching some wood fittings on my hatch covers to act as
: pressure points for my hold-down straps (ala Pygmy's instructions), but
: I've already varnished the boat - 6 coats so far. Should I sand down thru
: the varnish, then use thickened epoxy to attach those wood fittings? Or
: would using some Marine Goop (contact cement) to the varnished finish work
: okay?

: any advice is much appreciated.

For such a small contact area, I'd scrape the varnish off with a small blade, rather than sand it.

Jim