Alright, thanks for clearing up that confusion as the guy in the Marine
supplies shop told me I should do it the "backass way" I described,
guess he didn't have a clue!! So, in summary, I should apply ...

- the epoxy first against the bare wood (encapsulating the parts in two
coats of epoxy before assembly)
- then the wood primer
- then apply the color coat
- then finish it with a UV resistant varnish to avoid sunlight epoxy
degradation.

Now, I'm sure there are different varying types of epoxy so can anyone
please recommend a god epoxy or is one just as good as another? Do I
need to sand in between application of coats? Is there any special
method of application or any tools that would make the above method
quicker?

Thanks for all the advise and help to date.