Dust and Illusions

Finally the stars aligned, the rain stopped, and I had time to sand. To my surprise it was not so painful. After almost 2 hours I can't say it was enjoyable, but it was rewarding. The boat is looking great. The Makita ROS does relatively quick work of the task. 1st sanding used 60 grit disks. The technique is to keep the sander moving over the hull in 6-8" circular motions. I won't belabor the issue, but moving in a line will only reinforce any flat areas left by the planer. There is a good sanding descriptive on Laughing Loon's Shop Tips. So, here are some pics showing the hull both sanded and wetted out (with water). The kayak really starts to show its color.

Hull on gangrenous deck.


 

wet

inner stem prior to inside sanding. I'll add an epoxy fillet.

sanded close up

wet close up. Nail holes look fine.

port bow

Illusions of the final color. Wet port bow.

Well, we are getting somewhere now. Progress is measurable. A final sanding with 120 grit will be done after she dries. The temperatures are not likely to reach 70 degrees any time soon, so I'll have to devise some sort of tent over the hull once back in the garage. Space heaters under the hull will hopefully get the temp to epoxy range. I'd like to glass the hull prior to building the deck.