Refinishing spars

[bladd]

I have a set of spars I'm using for my project that appear to never have been installed (no rib nail holes). They've been sitting for some time and I'd like to refinish them. Should I just lightly sand them with the red scotch bright pads and varnish or do I need to take off all the old varnish with acetone or some other chemical?

[Paul Agaliotis]

I would just sand them lightly and coat them with a good quality varnish. I use Man of War spar varnish, some people use an epoxy product also.
First coat thinned and brushed and two coats full bodied sprayed. You can steel wool the finish and spray another two coats if you want a high gloss finish.
Paul