I am building a couple of boat storage boxes out of plywood. The size of one box is 8 feet long x 4 feet deep x 2 feet high. Another box for my propane LPG locker is about 33" long x 18" deep x 20" high. My boat is a 1973 50 foot x 15 foot Burns Craft houseboat. These 2 boxes will be installed on the Sun Deck and exposed to natures weather elements 100% of the time. The boat is a cream or bone off-white main color with orange decor stripes. I would like to have the boat boxes be close to that color but not exactly. In any case I do not want white or clear. My question is: What is the best or suitable finish protective coat to apply to the outside and the inside of the boxes before I mount then on the boat? I have considered staining first then clear varnish but I do not want the wook like appearance. The better half wants it to be a solid color. I thought about painting it with external house paint as well as fiberglass without the fiber.

Please advise on the final finish coating.

Regards, Richard in the California Delta and the San Francisco Bay