I hope you have patience. You are about to embark on a long, tedious, frustrating (unless you LIKE sanding) process. I have found that the sanding/ finishing takes almost as long as the rest of the kayak.

As for WHAT to use: Random orbitasl sander. If you are going to purchase one, get a good one. The cheap ones will burn out.

Sandpaper: Several grits. Klingspore(sp?) is the cheapest. They have a website. Get several sizes, or even the combo pak.

There are also a lot of good articles on sanding in some of the links on this website. Basically, you need to sand evenly (read keep the pad flat) until there are no small shiny spots left. Then you need to apply finish (also a lot of articles around this site or links).

Sanding and finishing are kind of their own "arts" like epoxy is. There are little tips and tricks to get the job done right.

> I've been building a Queeen Charlotte 17 by Pygmy for the last several
> months as time allows and am finally to the point where I have glassed the
> bottom and getting ready to finish up. I would like to solicit some advice
> on sanding and finishing. I've put several coats of epoxy on the bottom
> and am now flipping it over to put more coats on the rest of the boat
> since I only have one coat on.

> What I would like to know is after doing this how much sanding needs to be
> done? This is the one thing that is the biggest mystery when it comes to
> boatbuilding. The manual basically says and now you can sand and varnish
> your boat. It seems there must be a bit more to it than that. What am I
> looking for? I assume a smooth finish and a consistent coat over the
> entire boat?

> Next what methods of sanding should I use hand, random orbit? Maybe a lot
> of this is a personal choice thing. I'm looking for a nice finish not
> something everyone looks at and says, "He should have sanded
> more". So any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

> Dave Caudill