Always varnish over paint, not paint over varnish, because varnish remains soft long after it seems cured and could dissolve the paint. Also consider using a marine urethane like Minwax Mariner Spar urethane instead of varnish. I used this on my last build and found it easier to apply, and it dries quicker, harder and shinier than varnish. It's also less than half the cost, requires fewer coats, and adds less weight to the finished boat. It is fully compatible with Interlux Brightside enamel too, so can be applied either over or under the enamel. -Wes

Wes,

Per your last post - do you recommend against the Intelux clear "varnish?"  I guess it's more like Poly, but still... my plan was to use a combo of their paint and clear coating.

Appreciate any advice;

Thanks,
Larry

On my Shearwater I used Interlux Schooner varnish. It took five coats and looked pretty good, but that was about two weeks work. On my Merganser, I painted the hull with three coats of Interlux Brightside enamel over two coats of high-build primer and finished the deck with three coats of Minwax Mariner Spar urethane. The whole pocess took less than a week and came out great. I had no problem with masking tape on either the paint or the Minwax and finished off the seam between them with 1/4" marine vinyl tape, which really looks sharp. -Wes

Wes, thanks.  I'll have to look into that (although I've already bought two quarts of the Interlux... I hate to ask CLC to take them back (not sure they even would).

Appreciate the tip - anything that saves me a week's time (and headaches) is invaluable!

Larry