"krj" wrote in message news:Ncayh.5$tn3.2@bigfe9...
NE Sailboat wrote:
Whenever I get ready to do a project I normally follow Don Casey's
advice. Don has written so many good maintenance books.

So, I am getting ready for spring. I decided I'd start by giving the
boat a good bottom sanding. I looked in Casey's book, he recommends a
high speed disk sander. Off I go to Sears. I ask in tools where the
disk, orbital sanders are. The salesman brings me over to a counter,
there are probably 8 or more. All about the same. 5" random orbital
disk sanders. I figure this must be what I am looking for, pick up some
5" disk pads, and off I go.

When I get home and try the sander out on my old fiberglass dinghy, it
doesn't seem to be what Casey is talking about. The disk doesn't spin
all that fast.

I go back to Sears. The salesman looks at the Casey book that I brought
with me. We both decide that the disk sander in the book is not a random
orbital sander. Sears doesn't have a sander that looks like the one in
Casey's book. I go to Lowes. Same story. No high speed orbital sander.

Which brings me here.

Is the random orbital sander the tool to use for sanding the bottom of
the boat. What model? What brand? How much to spend?

Any info on bottom of boat sanding?

Help?
Go back and get a high speed belt sander for about $60 and some 60 grit
belts.

Before getting too carried away, I would ask, "What are you trying to
accomplish?" If you want to remove existing bottom paint, I would recommend
first that you try wiping it with some dry 80 grit on a sponge pad. Does the
paint come right off? If so, you can do a good job, with much less dust to
worry about, just by going over the entire bottom by hand -- or even with a
good stiff brush. This works exceptionally well on dry ablative bottom
paints. Before repainting, scuff the surface with 60 grit and clean with
acetone.

One thing you want to be careful of is being too agressive, using 60 grit
belt sanders and the like. You can eat a hole through most modern plastic
boats in short order with one of those.