First coat of varnish

The first coat of varnish is cut fifty-fifty with paint thinner. It will have much more gloss to the finish after a couple more coats. The next coat has 25% thinner in it and the one after that has 15%, and so on. 

The dark corners in the ends present a challenge to varnish. Somehow it seems easier to turn the canoe upside down and wear it like a giant hat, diving into the tapered recess and painting the finish on at arm's length.