I don't think you're kidding at all. For me varnishing has always been like the old jokes about painting bridges: you're never done. You start, and by the time you're done, you have to go back and start over again at the beginning.
Almost 20 years ago I had a 36 ft Sabreline with a moderate amount of exterior brightwork. I was determined to find some coating that would last longer than the flashbulb lifespan of varnish. After doing intensive research, I concluded that Bristol Finish, a two-part polyurethane, was the answer. The company told me that each coat should last a year, and multiple coats would last multiple years.
I paid someone to spend many days scraping all the old varnish down to bare wood. I then applied 10 (ten) coats of Bristol Finish. I felt so smug, I thought if each coat lasted a year, with 10 coats I'd be looking at a decade of varnish-free bliss.
The Bristol Finish didn't even last one year. Before the end of that first season it was peeling, chipping, cracking, yellowing, and in general behaving just like varnish.
Now I won't buy a boat with any exterior brightwork. As much wood inside as possible, but none on the outside. I don't have enough time left to live to deal with exterior brightwork (or money in the bank to pay someone else to do it for me).