Varnish? Stain? Paint? Gloss? Matte? How Many Coats?!?!?!?!?!?!?! $$$$$$$

 Ok! So we are getting ready for a fun adventure to Dowsar Marine to buy the varnish and paint for the boat! It's going to be exciting, I believe I know exactly what to get (even though this changes every 1 or 2 hours as a result of stumbling onto another video with yet another opinion on what kind of varnish/paint to use and why. I also get to highlight a headache/hiccup I experienced a while back as I tried to acquire these materials earlier.

After researching and seeing what Lou from Tips from a Shipwright and Andy from Boatworks Today had to say, I settled on Epifanes varnish and White Interlux Paint. When I first contacted retailers to acquire the proper varnish, paint, and even epoxy, I was presented with a tonne of difficulty! After seeing what the pros were using, consulting with Antique Boat Facebook Forums, I decided to contact the retailers they recommended. One after the other, I was presented with the same response, we do not ship these chemicals to Canada, or alternatively, "We can ship it, but you would have to pay additional shipping costs on top of the general shipping charge, as well as any charges accumulated as your order crosses the boarder. There had to be another way.

A couple weeks ago (yes this demoralized me to the point of stepping away from the boat for several months) I was observing the sailboats at Bayfront Park in the Hamilton Harbour, and I began to think that I must be missing a key element in my search for the right materials. When I got home my dad had just got back from picking up a new boat seat, and I thought why not, I will ask if the place he got the seat from knew where to buy varnish and paint. It turns out that the place sold the exact varnish and paint I was looking for! So I am now planning a trip to Dowsar Marine to drop some dough for the boat! This definitely taught me a lesson to not give up if you think you have explored all possible avenues. If you have your mind set on completing a project, sometimes it just requires you to think outside the box. Go for a walk, change up your environment, sometimes the answer will find the strangest way of finding you! Thanks again dad!

Wish me luck!

Cpt. John (not really a captain)