: John,

: I've used Helmsman for two boats now and it seems to work well with 5 coats
: applied. I haven't used others, so it's difficult to compare. I read a
: note somewhere that mentioned other products such as captains and z-spar
: have more UV protection than Helmsman and probably takes less coats. I
: agree with the others that have responded with regards to below the
: waterline - I believe it applies to boats that are kept in the water.

: Regards,
: Bill

That's the difficulty with not knowing how a material is supposed to handle. My first boats were varnished with a Benjamin Moore spar varnish that seemed to be fine (to my relative inexperience with varnishes at the time) but I'd always have gummed up sandpaper whenever I'd try to apply a new coat. Even years later!

When I finally switched brands after talking to the epoxy maker I could see the difference immediately. Sanding a dried/cured coat made dust instead of gum.

All the best,

Rob Macks
Laughing Loon CC&K
www.LaughingLoon.com