Varnishing an old plywood dinghy

[DanTribe]

Apologies, I know this has probably been done to death but;
I have been "volunteered" to refurbish an abandoned Cadet dinghy for use by new junior club sailors.
I have stripped the deck and used oxalic acid to remove much of the black and green staining.
Cadet dinghy decks serve as the seat so it will be subject to much abrasion in use.
I am considering a coat of 2 pack varnish overlaid with several coats of conventional varnish,
I recently used International Original on my own boat but unimpressed with that, slow to dry and stays softish, not hard wearing. I'm now thinking of using International Goldspar which they claim is hard wearing.
Any thoughts? Should I abandon the 2 pack idea and go straight for conventional?

 

[MADRIGAL]

Apologies, I know this has probably been done to death but;
I have been "volunteered" to refurbish an abandoned Cadet dinghy for use by new junior club sailors.
I have stripped the deck and used oxalic acid to remove much of the black and green staining.
Cadet dinghy decks serve as the seat so it will be subject to much abrasion in use.
I am considering a coat of 2 pack varnish overlaid with several coats of conventional varnish,
I recently used International Original on my own boat but unimpressed with that, slow to dry and stays softish, not hard wearing. I'm now thinking of using International Goldspar which they claim is hard wearing.
Any thoughts? Should I abandon the 2 pack idea and go straight for conventional?

I have had what I thought was good service from 8 coats of International’s Original Spar Varnish on the seats and thwarts of my sailing dinghy, but I will have to do some touch-ups and a fresh coat or two over the winter this year. I might try Goldspar next time. What I like about varnish is that it seems to flex a bit and not crack as the wood shrinks and swells.

I know many people would advise two coats of epoxy and then a coat of two-pack varnish, so I might try that next time I get down to bare wood. Honestly, the wood looks really good after two years under the Original varnish, so it may be a long time before I have to take it down to bare wood again.

 

[searocket]

We had a wooden Wayfarer until recently. We always used epoxy on the bare wood then 2 pack polyurethane. This gives a hard wearing coating and if done carefully a fantastic shine.
Protect the boat from the sun with a good polycotton cover, don't forget the transom and this finish will last for years.

 

[seumask]

epifanes Varnish 4 coats, over clear epoxy, worked well on the wooden boats I have had. the Varnis h may seem a little soft in the first week but that soon hardens