1952 Chris Craft Riviera 18′ Runabout Varnishing

We allowed the Interlux Interprime Clear Sealer to cure in the paint/varnish clean room over the weekend. Now the fun begins.
RJ will sand the entire boat using a pneumatic random-orbit sander and 200 grit paper. His goal is getting as close as he can to flat without cutting through the sealer. Eventually he will sand the surfaces until he has a uniform snow field, but we won’t see that stage until we are about 5 coats into the process.
We will then return the boat to the paint/varnish clean room where she will lie in its 65 degree environment for 24 hours, by which time the boat’s surface should have reached the critical temperature.
Temperature and humidity affect how much thinner we add and how the varnish lays down. We shoot for 60-65 percent humidity and 65 degrees.
As is our practice, Pettit Hi-Build gloss varnish will be applied with a 3” foam roller followed by tipping immediately using a 3” Wooster varnish brush. RJ is our go-to varnish guy, while John and I are relegated to tipping behind him.
She will only become more and more stunning with each coat which we will chronicle in future updates.