: I don't have a marine supply store anywhere around. I do have OSH and Home
: Depot (and Ace.) They sell "spar varnish" (I can't remember the
: brand.) Has anyone tried "off the shelf" spar varnishes? I have
: to mail order to get my Z-Spar, so I was thinking I might save some money,
: but only if I won't be sacrificing too much quality. Incidently, the first
: can of Z-Spar I used hardened in the can before I was through using it.
: With the second can I was fanatic about pouring some into a bowl, then
: sealing the can VERY tightly, as soon as possible.

I've seen both Z-spar varnishes on the shelves at local hardware and home depot stores, so they are certainly available outside of boat stores.

If your store doesn;t have these in stock, why not ask if they can "special order" it for you? different stores ary in their policies on obtaining materials which they do not usually stock. If their suppliers have the products available or in their catalogs then usually you won't have to pay for shipping charges, but you may not get any discount from the list price, either. It certainly won't hurt to ask.

Some retailers won't add new products to their store shelves unless they think they have a market for them first. If your request starts things rolling, then you may be turning on your hardware store to a good product which others will enjoy using, too. You would be doing them a favor.

PGJ