Hello all -

I just picked up an old tandem kayak for free. It's a fiberglass boat and has had some really rough patches in it's life. They're ugly with really thick fiberglass used and resin all over the place. My plan is to sand the patches down as far as I can to get a fair surface -- even if it means that I have to put new patches overtop.

Anyway, I digress - my real question is what do I need to do to keep myself safe when sanding this fiberglass. I was looking at the Enviro Safety Products web site and was planning on buying a respirator, nitrile gloves and Tyvek coveralls.

The respirator that I am considering is a 3M 6000 series. Is it worth the (WAY!)-extra money for a full-face respirator versus the half-face respirator? And, from a tiny bit of reading about epoxy sanding protection - I was thinking of the Organic Vapor cartridges.

For the Tyvek coveralls, what level of protection is needed? Just coveralls with plain sleeves and ankles? With elastic? With hood and booties?

I'd rather err on the side of precaution and safety. I'll probably do the sanding outside (rather than dirty up the garage w/ the fiberglass dust).

Anyway - comments & suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

-Doug