I sand......therefore I am.
Man I'll be glad when I can get to 60 grit
There are those who can take a mundane task like sanding and knock it out in several large chunks of time. And then there are those who break it up into many smaller tasks spread over a larger amount of time. Either way you do it, it's probably about the same amount of time invested.
It's a matter of shutting your brain off, I think. No, wait.Â
If THAT were the case, my boat should look smooth-as-glass everywhere, right..?Â
Because my brain shuts off at will.Â
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I think sanding has taken 50% of the time I have spent building my boat. I don't know if it is a zen thing, or as you say "shutting your brain off", but I enjoy sanding. (According to my wife I am zoned out most of the time these days but she is just trying to get me to do work so I discount her opinion on that subject.) I think I like sanding because the results, when down well, make me smile as I run my hand over the sanded surfaces or step back and take a look. Another reason to like sanding is you are one step closer to painting, oiling or varnishing and that is just one step away from sailing.
If you don't sand, you don't need non-skid
There is that Rye... there is that
That is friggin hilarious!......no sand no non-skid painting needed. Good stuff.Â
I have not accurately logged all my sanding hours and I haven't tallied it in a while, but I swear it is over 100 hours! possibly 150. I'll tally it up sometime soon and post.Â
Cut your sanding time in half. Use 36 grit sandpaper instead.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en...58TQ5C0Cbl
I bought a ton of sandpaper for pennies per sheet when Sears was closing most of the standalone Sears Hardware stores a few years back; and it included a whole box of 36 grit paper from 3M. The 36 grit is so aggressive it leaves âteethâ marks on the wood that look like Freddy Krugerâs fingernail scratches.
I used 3M 77 adhesive to tack 36 grit paper to one side of a 36 inch poplar 2x4, attached handles to the other side, and then used the board vertically to simultaneously sand the bevels on the stringers attached to the hull bottom and deck so that the hull sides would lay perfectly flat. Sanding time on the bevels was about 1 hour per side.
Cheers,
Tom