: I'm curious what 'product' you favor - varnish, or polyurethane?

I'm the world's worst to ask varnish questions of. I'm decidedly more in need of help than a the guy to dispense it.

But to answer the question, I seem to have fallen into the habit of using Minwax Spar Urethane from the hardware store. I have a bunch of Captain's and Epifanes laying around, but all I ever seem able to do with it is stress myself out. I guess one of these days I'll get fired up once again to master the fine varnish finish on the boats, but for now I'm pretty much resigned to slapping on a few coats of UV protection and calling it a day. The results look okay, at least nobody's barfed on any of 'em yet.

For the Greenland paddles, I brush on the same, but wipe it off with a rag immediately after application to end up with a satin finish that looks pretty decent ....... and isn't slippery.