Nice looking wood there Willie. Are those teak coamings?

My biggest problem with varnishing is getting the weather to coincide with my free time. I'm always trying to slap on a few coats in early April. The weather is cold and raining, or threatening to rain. If I followed the manufacturer's guidelines I would never get the job done. Once the tape goes on the clock starts ticking. Even good tape can be hard to remove if you leave it on too long.

So, I've been known to push the envelope. I've found that if I get over 50 degrees the varnish will be O.K.. I've been surprised by the rain more than once too. As long as the varnish has an hour or two to skin over the rain won't hurt it.

Don't try this at home, your mileage may vary.

Laying on the varnish goes quickly. Everything else seems to take time---getting down to the boat, rolling out the supplies, taping off, setting up etc.. Once the brush hits the varnish it goes quick, or it should.