"steen" wrote...

What is the drawback by using only PU satin varnish..?? I got a small
boat, and don't feel like buying double amount of varnish, just to get
satin look.

Dunno for sure...

Of the various brands I looked at last fall when shopping for satin varnish,
only 1 or 2 recommended gloss varnish as the base coat[s]. HOWEVER, most of
the satins are rated for interior use only. Maybe they aren't designed to
hold up under hard use, weather, or UV.

I did the floorboards of my boat with Interlux satin. I started with a
sealer coat of epoxy, then 2 coats of gloss Z-Spar Captains, then 3 coats of
the satin, sanding with 240 after the epoxy and gloss coats, and 320 between
the satin coats. Turned out VERY well!

I saw one boat last fall where the owner revarnished previously glossy rails
with satin. It looked terrible up close -- brush strokes galore! I don't
know how he prepared it, or what varnishes he used. Proper preparation is
worth the time invested!