: I've been lurking around the board and archives for a couple of weeks while
: preparing for and starting my first boat (arctic tern). I've been able to
: find answers to most of my questions so far, but now need help with this
: one.
: Most people seem to be using random orbital sanders, so, in prep for a Home
: Depot excursion later this week, I added one to my shopping list. This was
: challenged by my wife on the grounds that we already have a palm sander.
: On the spot, I couldn't come up with a better justification than something
: along the lines of "but all of the other kids have one". I've
: used up a lot of the available supply of tolerance and indulgence in
: getting the kit itself and taking over the basement. Any help on this?

Tell her that the time you save with the RO will enable you to get started on her boat sooner, That aside on the flat panels the palm sander will be ok, just be careful of runs and drips in your lay up and fill coats, and read the threads on the hazards of epoxy fumes and figure how to vent your basement.
Bob