Hey Kyle,

What grit did you use with your fairing board? Is the problem on the hull or on the deck? Is it WRC?

I had the same problem on the hull of my kayak. I used very course paper on the first round with the fairing board and those scratches showed up even after all the other sanding I did.

I agree with the other suggestions so far. Wetting the wood before the final sanding helps you see those deep scratches, it also raises the grain and helps close staple holes.

The way I think about sanding is that the work is done with the courser grits; all the other grits are just there to remove the scratches from the previous paper. Don't use anything under 60 grit. Don't skip too many grits, if you do, it takes forever to remove the scratches from the previous grits. If I remember correctly, I now use 60, 100, 150, and 220 on the bare wood. Also, keep the edges of the fairing board away from the concave areas of the hull; it cuts deeper when the pressure is concentrated on the edge of the paper.

Pedro Almeida