: Do you have a technique for applying spar varnish to the hull
: without it running? Due to the vertical nature of the hull as it
: sits in a sling, I cannot eliminate the runs. I thought about
: spraying, but I'm not sure that works for spar varnish. How do
: you do it?

: In the past I have varnished the deck, then turned over and done
: the hull. The bow and stern have very vertical sides as it sits
: there - thus the running of the varnish.

: Any ideas would be appreciated.

I also use an epoxy roller and tip off with a brush, I can do a side fast enough this way that the opposite side can be done right away without getting drag marks from drying varnish.

The number of coats depends on the underlying surface, if it's perfect you need less varnish. Still it's a minimum of 3 coats or you won't get the UV resistance you need, and you sand off about 1/2 of the thickness anyway between coats. Wet sand varnish only, the new varnish won't fill in the scratches caused by dry sanding. The total number of coats depends pretty much on the finish you want, 3 will work, I've used up to 15.

If you're in a hurry, the base coats can be done with Interlux Jet Speed varnish, if the temps are up like they should be for varnish you can put two or sometimes three coats on a day without having the sand between coats. But....this varnish has no UV resistance at all, so needs topcoated with a decent marine varnish with UV restistance. I don't like mixing brands of epoxy so if you're using the Jet Speed, best to use one of their marine varnishes as a top coat.

Otherwise I use Z-spar Captain's varnish as recommended by Rob, very easy to use.

If you don't scratch up the boat during the season and it's stored out of the sunlight, there's no reason the varnish needs re-applied every season. Put on new as it's needed, not because a certain amout of time has gone by.

Bill H.