Patrick,
Thank Your for the compliments - my boat is almost finished, just waiting to get some accessories to finish her up.

On the the finishing I did have the outside of the boat coated with epoxy before I put the hull together... I added a coat after the hull was formed for good measure. I sanded a few times down to 220 and was satisfied with the smoothness of the surface.

On the varnishing I basically followed the instructions in Brightwork, but I decided not to obsess over the varnish. I did the exterior in 3 coats, sanding in between... before the last coat I went over the surface with steel wool to knock down any dust that got in the finish. Remember, you will be adding subsequent coats of varnish in the coming seasons - so the finish will build and gain character as time goes by. Oh yeah - and we are actually going to use these boats so they will take their dings and scratches... When all is said and done I am quite pleased with the varnish on the exterior of my boat, it is not perfect, but for my first time varnishing a boat... well you get the point.
More than anything I used the knowledge I learned finishing window frames with varnish when I was working with my uncle. The patience part anyways...
I used Flagship 2015 Spar Varnish - nice stuff with lots of UV blocker.

I used a foam roller to apply the varnish and "tipped" it with a nice brush...
The roll and tip method seemed to work well for me. Above all - be sure the strain your varnish to avoid clumps and particulate - and the section in Brightwork that describes "keeping the wet edge" is a must read.

Keep me posted on your project - it is looking good man - you are doing a nice job.

And the Pere Marquette is one of my favorite rivers... just a nice place to spend time.

Jason