: Use a fairing board and work through 80 and 120 where you need to even the
: layers. This will fair the boat and keep you from grinding through the
: glass, hopefully. It won't take very much time. You can use the ROS but
: epoxy has to be fully cured, could take a week. Scraper for the runs when
: it's green, sand to fair when it's cured. I fair the glass layers just
: before I put on the last squeeged epoxy coat when you can still see the
: weave pretty much everywhere. A decent sanding after that cures with the
: ROS, let the stuff cure, wash off the blush if it's there first. Once the
: epoxy is fully cured the ROS with 80 then 120 will work just fine but you
: go through sandpaper faster. Work outside if you can and protect yourself
: from the dust.
: Are you using open coat aluminum oxide paper? Change it before it gets too
: dull. Good luck. Is this the 14 ft Auk for fishing with the cockpit side
: bulkheads?

Jim, thanks for this lesson on sanding this kind of epoxy. I understand now what I should have and shouldn't have been doing and what was happening. The one sentence you said, "SCRAPER FOR THE RUNS WHEN IT'S GREEN, SAND TO FAIR WHEN IT'S CURED" says it all to keep out of trouble I think. And yes, this is the Auk with the side bulk heads but it is 12 feet long. Now I wish I had made it 14 ft. But again thanks, I feel much more confident now that I know what I was doing wrong.

John