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http://www.amazon.com/Brightwork-Fini...0877429847

I think this is one of the best books you will find on the topic.

To refinish, you can manually or chemically strip the varnish. Manually is much less messy and arguably, just as easy. I use a heat gun to get the varnish to just barely bubble and begin scraping it off with a metal sracper. Be careful not to use too much heat or you will burn the wood, move the gun around a bit to diffuse the heat some.

After you have gotten most or all of the varnish off, sand with a 60 grit paper to get any nicks, blemishes etc. out. Once that is done move to about 100 grit and do it again. Once that is done repeat with about 150. This can be obsessive, its hard to tell when is really good enough, its all about what is acceptable to you. Once this is done, clean the wood really well to get all of the dust off it. I like to wipe it with a damp rag, then let it dray and follow with another cleaner. You can use turpentine or benzine, tack cloth, whatever. This should get you ready to varnish.

Some seal the grain of the wood with epoxy before laying on the varnish, but epoxy alone is not enough as it has little to no UV protection. Many traditionalists, do not use epoxy at all, it has its pros and cons. Varnish alone is easier to strip if redone, rather than having to strip the epoxy...Varnish without a good UV inhibitor may allow the epoxy to weather under the varnish leaving a marred look over time. Interlux Schooner is the choice of many, but there are other good ones too, and each have their preferences... Varnishing is rather easy, here is a recent thread with some info.

http://whalercentral.com/forum/viewth...rowstart=0

Basically, varnish, sand, tack, varnish sand, tack over and over again until you have the desired amount of coats. Use a foam brush or a good quality badger hair brush. (expensive) Remember not to dip your brush directly from the can as it can contaminate it. You should strain your varnish into another container between each coat. When applying, maintain a wet edge and brush from the wet edge to the bare wood, or under coat, you have to work kind of fast, especially if it is warm where you are varnishing. Always clean your brush well after each application, unless you are using foam, then just throw it out. As you reach the final coats, work with progressively finer grits of sand paper, up to about 1000 or so. Some like to do a wet sand on the final coat or two. The more coats you have the more dimensional or "deep" your finish will look. There really are many ways to get an acceptable finish, but some things should be done regardless of technique, (like straining the varnish.)

Here is a little article I found that gives some quick reference. I wouldn't substitue it for the book though. Rebecca Wittman's book is about the foremost authority on finishing wood for marine applications.

http://www.craftsman-style.info/finis...g-wood.htm

Other members have some good resources too, I'm sure they will be in to lend some advice.

---John