So am I finally ready to varnish? At this point, my mind was spinnning. There is that constant thought process of all the little things you can tinker with in order to make the canoe better, smoother, prettier, lighter....anything and everything, but they all take time. At the time, our summers up here are not very long, and the push to get the canoe in the water over the 4th of July weekend was strong.
Putting that first coat of varnish on was very satisfying! I used Z-Spar 2015 Flagship Varnish which seems to be one of the better varnishes you can use. It has a UV blocker in it which should help the canoe continue to look good for a long time. The canoe shines brilliantly once again!
I have one coat of resin and farnish on the seats, thwarts, and the yoke all before installing them. I also added one last detail that was inspired by my brother. I asked my wife who has much better handwriting than I do, to use a wood burner and burn in a fish measuring ruler into the rear thwart. I spaced it a few inches in from the end so I could adjust it while installing it. I have it set up now so that when you touch the fishes lips to the gunnel, it accurately measures your fish.
The manufacturer recommends that I apply up to 4 coats of varnish. I have 2 coats on it as of my July 4th launch. I plan on putting one more coat on before a mid-August Boundary Waters trip, and then ill add any other necessary coats this winter.
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