: Today I decided to try using a Dremel with a small sanding wheel to
: feather the strips used to join the hull and deck together. It
: worked really well and don't think I have seen this method
: posted, but most likely quite a few people are already going
: this route.

I really like Nick Cage movies. Well, I mostly like Nick Cage, he has been in more than few movie stinkers .

Take his movie, "Next" where he can see into the future a couple minutes. This allows him to avoid getting, shot, blown-up and flattened by a train. Handy gift.

A few people in the movie who don't listen to his advise don't live long.

Well, nobody's going to die, well at least I hope they don't, building a stripper boat.

But, it's still handy to know what will happen if you do this or instead, that.

That's where some people think it's worth buying plans from a professional builder who has done ALL those stupid things, so they don't have to. And some of those people actually follow the instructions carefully (usually old guys, who know they don't have a lot of time left to waste) so that everything works out smooth and easy and you just get to suck up all the glory.

You see, solutions to problems are easy. Everyone, each one of us has one, solutions, that is, yeah, and problems galore too.

Coming up with a solution that doesn't create THREE new problems, now that's the trick.

I answer questions on this BB not to point out some person's flaws but to help that person and hundreds who come to this board for help and encouragement but stay silently in cyber space.

Now to address your "Dremel" solution. I don't want to have you take this personally, but I think there are a few potential problems with this.

FIRST safety - I see from the photo you're not wearing gloves. Grinding epoxy and fiberglass cloth is one of the most hazardous parts of strip building. Uncured epoxy (less than three weeks old) is toxic and can cause allergic reactions to skin and lungs. Finely ground fiberglass fibers on your skin and in your lungs are equally bad.

So, I hope you will wear gloves, a really GOOD dust mask, goggles and a power tool with dust extraction.

That Dremel grinder will be blowing this dust in your face and lungs. It's the stuff you can't see that will kill ya.

SECOND - Sanding with a small tool or part of a ROS disk is what I call eraser sanding. It works GREAT! but creates an irregular surface. When you get to the stage where you varnish the boat all these little ripples will show up. Imagine taking two pieces of Plexiglas, overlapping them and feathering that edge. That's what your deck seam will look like.

Maybe that's okay. If it works for you, I have no problem with that.

But if you want to have your boat look as good as it can, then you need to use the full flat surface of a Random Orbital Sander (ROS) disk to follow the fair surface of the deck for an invisible seam.

The trouble is, if you've never built a stripper before you don't know the value of instructions by a professional, unless you're one of those old guys with not a lot of time to waste.

You can find some of my advise about sanding on my web site at:

http://www.laughingloon.com/shop.tips.html

All the best,
Rob

Solutions are easy, coming up with one that doesn't create three new problems,
now that's the trick

Rob Macks