Do you ever wonder why its called "wood finish?" You’re never "finished" with it. Unfortunately, that rings true for most boat maintenance tasks. With that harsh reality in mind, we set out in 2007 to find the best exterior wood finish on the market, one that’s durable and easy to apply.

Since then, we’ve reported on and rated the application and original finish of more than 50 products in our long-term exposure test. In the August 2007 issue, we introduced the one-part test varnishes, followed by the initial report on synthetics and teak treatments (varnish alternatives) in the October 2007 issue, and two-part varnishes in the December 2007 issue. In…