exterior wood trim finishing recommendations?

I have carved some burned cedar trim that will be on the exterior of the bar I'm building. What top coat would you recommend to preserve the color and burnt detail on the trim (protect from fading and other deterioration)?

I use this

http://www.minwax.ca/wood-products/exterior-clear-protective-finishes/minwax-helmsman-spar-urethane

Works well, same product I used on my home built kayak.

I believe that is the stuff I used on the bar top last summer and it really looks rough this year. Need to completely redo it already.

Although it might do better on the trim since the trim is vertical whereas the bar top is a flat surface and water does stay on it for awhile after it rains.

Do you use tarps to cover your bar. That would help more than anything when you're not using it.

No, I didn't. Once I get the awning constructed it should be more protected.

Just want to be sure I'm using the best bet on the trim. Would some sort of oil finish be better? The problem I have with sparathane is it often needs to be stripped in order to spiff it back up. I might rather have an oil type product that can just go over the previous coat to renew it than have to deal with completely refinishing.

Go to a few wood working stores in Michigan and ask the pros what they think.
Loews = no pros.
I think you are right that an oil stain will be best but will need to
reapply every year.

A couple coats of Cabots marine varnish will preserve the wood and finish.

Thanks for the tips guys. I really appreciate it.

Regarding my previous bad luck with the spar urethane on the bar top, in my reading on finishes, I think its possible I didn't get enough coats on there last summer (only put two coats). Regardless of what finish I go with for the trim, I'm going to try to get at least four coats on it. It may not have made a difference for that bar top because it does get pounded by the sun, rained on and snowed on. But hopefully, I can avoid doing any complete refinishes on the trim.