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Varnishing over wood filler
I have a small amount of rot where my cabin meets the deck and it will need to be filled before I can varnish. What filler would your recommend and do I follow the same varnishing procedures as in the course?
Filler wise it depends a little on the extent of the rot and positioning of the area. For example if it needs structural integrity or whether it is just a cosmetic fill. I'd likely be inclined to fill with a thickened epoxy. Feel free to upload some pictures if you like and I should be able to help further.
Either way it doesn't really affect the varnishing process when it comes to it.
It’s not the best image but there is rot each side along the cabin front each side of the mast. A nail goes in about 2mm. It seems solid from the inside of the cab. I’d like to sand the lot right back and start again once filled.
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Ok, I would suggest scraping that back, digging out the rot and seeing what the full extent of it is first. I have seen many bad cases where rot wasn't effectively removed but plugged with filler and it doesn't bode well long term.
Scrape it all out so you know exactly how far it goes and what you are dealing with and then make a plan. If you want to do something a little nicer looking you could consider running a little quarter round piece of wood trim around the transition between the cabin sides and deck. This would prevent water sitting there and also cover any potential repair. Of course, do this after the rot is effectively sorted and removed.