Varnishing

The first coat of varnish on the hull. I used a white high-density foam roller to apply Interlux Schooner Gold varnish, thinned 50/50with 333 Thinner, and a foam brush to tip off. The thinner really helps prevent bubbles, and allows a very thin coat. Interlux claims that Schooner Gold builds as much finish with one coat as other varnishes do with eight coats, and while that's a little optimistic, it does build faster.
This took longer than I thought it would. The hardest part is the "final" coat. I discovered a neat trick for "repairing" the odd brush stroke or fingerprint in the last coat. I saturated a paper towel with the 333 thinner,  added a few drops of unthinned varnish to the pad, and went over the area, being careful to end the coating in an inconspicuous place. Sort of like "French Polishing"!
I do, however, sense that I'll give up on this level of perfectionism after the first outing....