by drhill » Tue Apr 11, 2017 2:42 pm
I think you made a good decision going to the 10 foot length. The extra space will be really handy.
As for clear finish. I can let you know what I did but it is still an experiment in progress. When I built I hadn't actually seen a teardrop in person and my wife wasn't too keen. She has since changed her mind. So I built it fairly cheaply, but still so that I wouldn't be ashamed of it. I am sure the proper way is to liberally coat everything in epoxy and then varnish over that for UV protection. The woodwork in my sailboat has been holding up fine with just varnish, no epoxy. But I do keep it covered from the sun when not in use. On the teardrop I used a water based polyurethane. In some ways an oil based poly would be better as it is much easier to build up a dry film thickness with it. The water based requires a min of 4 coats according to the instructions, but I found at least twice that is better. The big advantages to the water based are that it is non-yellowing. So if you sand and repair an area, or add some modifications in the future, there is no problem matching the finish. It is also easy to apply 3 coats in a day, 4 if you start early. I finished my in 2014 and keep it in a garage when not in use. It has been on a couple month long trips and lots of shorter trips. Each spring I give it a good wash, lightly sand with about 180 grit and then apply 3-4 coats of the water based varathane. I think any clear finish is going to require a day or two of maintenance each year or time in the sun and rain will start to show.
I'd be happy to show my teardrop to you if you want a look. I'll email you,