STOP!!!!
My brother just gave me a porter cable rotary sander that I some 5" 60 grit discs that I'm going to try out tomorrow to see how it does. Hopefully that works faster than the DA.
Do not put that rotary disc sander on your boat's bottom with 60 grit... you will destroy it....It will eat right through the gel coat in blink of an eye. A
variable speed rotary sander/polisher with
150 grit or higher, on a
padded wheel, will work fantastic. The speed should be low-medium.
Is it worthwhile to do the final 80grit sanding with a flexible board sander as opposed to using a DA or a rotary to try and get a smoother flatter and better transitions as opposed to the uneven finish you can end up with by using a rotary or DA. I know it'll be more work for me but will the finish be better?
If you are going to do any long board sanding to build your "racing bottom" you won't have any success on bare fiberglass. You need to apply a "fairing compound" that will respond to hand sanding with a long board. Just think about how difficult it was to sand up to this point..... and you'll figure it out.
Building a racing bottom is much more labor and product intense than just sanding off some old paint. You can't get the bottom fair without applying the additional products.... do some research... google "build a sailboat racing bottom"
And one last question, I still have not decided on paints for both topside and bottom side and the more I read about paints the less I'm sure of what I should buy.
This boat is going to be raced so I'm looking for a fast bottom paint. The boat will probably ONLY see freshwater with a very occasional salt water but will be rinsed right after being in salt water. As of right now the boat will not be stored in the water but in the future there is a high possibility of it being stored in the water for the summer and then stored on land for the winter.
What is my best option, hard, ablative, something else I'm beyond confused.
Thanks for the help guys!!
Let's see, it's a 16 foot boat, stored on a trailer right? Don't put anything on the bottom beside the topcoat. Before each race, you wipe it down, drop it in the water and go..... after the race you pull it out of the water, wipe it down.... and go to the bar.
If you want to leave it in the water for a few weeks.... you can always pull it out occasionally to look at it.... but it isn't worth going to the trouble of putting bottom paint on the boat that will slow you down when you race.
So.... I'd leave it simple. Strip the hull, fair it, then cover the whole thing with the topside paint of your choice. You don't need bottom paint. Don't wax the bottom.... wax is slow.... just wipe it down when you pull the boat out of the water.
When I campaigned my Nacra 5.2..... algae would form quickly on the hulls... but that is easily removed with a little diluted toilet bowl cleaner (i.e. acid) Just pay attention to it and it is no problem.
As far as storing your 16 footer in the water.... I think you would be better to store in on the trailer.... mast up.... at the marina. Then you can just drop her in whenever you want to go.... but don't have to step the mast and hook up the rigging. You're not spending the night on it anyway, are you.
Good luck on your racing.....
