I restored our clubs koa canoe 2 years ago, taking it to bare and 4 coats of epoxy. Its time for a facelift again and I want to final coat with uv protection. Im thinking along the lines of varnish , or maybe an automotive clear coat. Varnish might be too soft, but familiar. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Mahalo
Mokunue,
After some research here on sways I decided to use water based poly exterior on a large deck delam repair on a longboard. It was a balsa deck inlay. It worked really well - much harder than varnish, easy to apply, dries quick, cleans up with water and after a couple of coats wetsanded really well. I did not try and polish it. This has held up well for a couple of years now.
However - I would check with others here since the poly is water clear and does not give you that beautiful amber effect that a good spar varnish provides. I have done poly over wood on other projects and it works great but just never seems to get that rich, deep amber color that varnish provides. Having owned wood boats - its hard to not love the look of a nice spar varnish finish.
I also have never applied varnish over epoxy - hopefully those that have will offer their expert advice.
yoyo