Evan ,, thanks for the info.. Just what I was looking for.

I am going to purchase the Porter Cable 5". Good compromise, I think.



====================



"Evan Gatehouse2" wrote in message
...
scbafreak via BoatKB.com wrote:
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.

In the old days Sears tools were good. Now a lot of Ryobi re-badged junk.

I have a 5" Porter Cable and a 6" Porter Cable right angle random orbital
sander. The 6" has about 40% more area and about 100% more grunt and is a
really good tool for all sorts of heavy duty sanding. Don't bother with
the velcro pads; use self adhesive stick on types. Try to get D or E
weight paper with say 80 grit. The heavier paper costs more but the paper
doesn't tear and the disks last longer.

For SERIOUS bottom sanding try to rent a Fein 8" with a dust collector
vaccuum. Very nice to work with and very agressive with bad bottoms or
lots of old paint.

Final tip - try to find a local teenager who wants a small part time job.
It's nasty and hard on your back and arms. Better to pay somebody $10/hr
than doing it yourself

Evan Gatehouse