Sanding a hull??

[jorgeinmiami]

I wanted to get some input on sanding a hull.

I believe myself to be fairly handy with tools and I have a sander or if needed I would buy the one needed.

What advice could all the experts here give me and what do I have to look out for?

I was qouted to do the job but I think or hope that if I do some of the work and spray it also it will come out nice.

Comments????

[toppintom]

I also have a boat that needs a lot of sanding. I was considering sand blasting. As far as painting goes It's all in the prep. and a little practice. I've spray painted 11 cars/trucks and 1 boat. all of them outside except for the 911(took three months). I've had good results, not perfect but, nice enough to draw compliments and amazement when i tell them i painted outside in a dirt lot with the wind blowing. don't get greedy and try to put the paint on all at once. I personally don't have much luck when I take my stuff to someone to fix,repair or paint something. There's nothing better than getting compliments on a job you did yourself.

[warthog5]

Start with washing the boat with dishwashing soap. That will help strip any wax or grease off of it.

next wash the whole boat with wax abd grease remover using the 2 rag system. Wet an area and dry it with another rag before it evaporates. If it does evaporate wet it again and wipe it dry.

Now go over the whole hull using a pencil and circle any and all imperfection's.

With the pencil in your pocket use a DA sander with 80gt to sand the hull. KEEP THE DA SANDER FLAT. As you come to your pencil mark's and sand them away, remark them.

Now go over the whole hull with a product like Interlux's Watertite filler. It's a 2 part epoxy filler that will not shrink like polyester filler's and fill the nick's and gouge's. A single edge razor blade work's well as a applicator for small nick's.

Now break out the rubber block and hand block the filled area with 180gt paper. You can do it wet sanding if you want.

Wash the hull again with wax & grease remover using the 2 rag methiod.

Tape the hull where you need to tape it.

Apply 4 coat's of Awlgrip 545 primer.

A fter that has had time to flash off well and a few hour's latter, use a contrasting color of Krylon spray bomb paint to put tiger stripe's all over the boat. This is for a guide coat. It should look like this.





Now you start hand blocking the hull with 320gt wet.
Sand until there is no spray bomb color left. This is how you get the hull VERY stright.

Wash the hull again with wax & grease remover and tack it off and your ready to paint.





[img]

[jorgeinmiami]

Thanks for the info I see that you have done a great job on yours.

Im going to go buy all the matrieals needed and start this week.

Buy the way if you want drop by to lend a hand.......... I'll have the beer ready

[jorgeinmiami]

I don't have access to a Air DA sander

Is there a electric choice?

[warthog5]

Porter Cable.
http://www.porter-cable.com/index.asp?e=547&p=2769

Keep it flat. No side sanding or digging with it.

You will have a temtation to use it to sand the primer. If you want a stright boat, don't do it. Hand block it with a rubber block. It will take you about 2 1/2 to 3 day's to do it right.[just the hand blocking of the side's and transom]

PS I don't work for beer anymore. Those day's have long past. Show me the money. $

[warthog5]

jorgeinmiami That's not my boat. It belong's to Jimmy O'Leary in Gulf Breeze, Fl.

This is mine.

[jorgeinmiami]

Both are still nice boats.

Thanks for the advise.

[abl1111]

Wart - very informative. Sanding is the most important part of the paint job. And doing it right is the only way to get great results ( Over the years, I have done it the right way and the wrong way - learning the hard way ! )

Question: the " spray bomb " is that a specific Krylon product for the purpose ?

Also, holding the D/A flat is great advice and so hard to adhere to because you want so badly to hold it on an edge - but that definitely will give you unwanted unevenness.

Lastly, the sanding block - I have heard that the longer the block, the smoother the finish - any validity to that ?

Thx.

[warthog5]

Spray bomb = spray can, but put it in a fire and it go BooM!

The regular old Krylon in a contrasting color to see it easy when your wet sanding.

A longer block is fine, but it can't be used in some place's where the hull has radical curve's. Sand across the curve on 45deg angles.