Varnishing the V-Bottom Skiff with Lou Sauzedde


We are back in the boat shop with the one and only, Louis Sauzedde, from Tips from a Shipwright! He is making great progress on his V-Bottom Skiff build, and in today’s video of the week, Lou shares his TIPS on how to varnish a wooden boat using our TotalBoat Wood Sealer!

Lou is so close to having this V-Bottom skiff out on the water and we are really looking forward to splash day! But first, he has to get to the finish work completed. For the first coat, he is using our Wood Sealer Varnish Primer. He starts at the breast hook then goes down one side and up the other bringing it back to the breast hook. After straining the Wood Sealer into a plastic mixing cup, Lou uses a natural bristle brush to apply the varnish, moving it in one direction to control the amount of varnish being applied. He tapes the top of the brush with blue painters tape leaving the bottom bristles free. Lou prefers to hold the brush down shorter than its designed to stop the varnish from getting into the heel of the brush too much. This also helps him control how much varnish is applied.

Another tip he shares is to apply the varnish the inside of the boat first under the inwales, that way you do not have to lean over wet varnish if you start from the outside in. It is so satisfying to see Lou bring this boat to life with just the first coat of varnish, making the wood grain really pop! Once the wood sealer is dry, Lou will be adding 3-4 coats of Lust Marine Varnish followed by a few more coats of our Gleam Spar Varnish, which will add more shine with each coat and the added protection this boat deserves!

Be sure to come visit Lou at our YouTuber Stars Influencer Booth at the Newport International Boat Show going on now through September 17th. Lou will be there amongst other YouTube boaters and sailors to meet and greet with fans and patreons for this spectacular four day event! See you there, and thank you for watching today’s Video of the Week!

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