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That soda blaster looks like he's ready for a NASA mission. Did you make those round PVC pipe sanders? . . .
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Hey Strick,
I think that the poor visibility through that helmet is one reason they do so much damage to the gel coat. About all they can see is whether or not there is any paint there! I did notice that the stbd side, which was facing the early morning sun, was a little better than the port side that was in the shade.
Yes, I made those sanding tools from PVC pipe and some cheap handles from HD. I got a roll of 2 3/4" adhesive backed 180 grit sandpaper, and it covered just about half the circumference of the pipes. The long one is 1 1/2" schedule 80 PVC, about 1 5/8" OD, and it contacted most of the radius on the steps, but missed a small area near the center. The short one is a piece of sink drain pipe, about 1 1/2" OD, and it covered the center of the radius the other one missed. Worked well on the 20 but you might need a different size for the 25. I let the edge of a DA sander run into the radius from the flat, and that defined the radius runout pretty consistently for masking top edge of stripe. Running a flat board sander along the bottom edge of the steps at a 45 degree angle helped define the lower edge for the stripe. I used a drafting compass and straight edge to mark the upper edge of the stripes on the steps. I used the expensive 3M vinyl masking tape which leaves a good clean edge if you press it down good, and it stretches around curves real well.
I think the scheme would look even better on the deeper hull and steps of the 25, 23 and 21 hulls, and I'm indeed flattered that you would consider it! I think Moesly had a good idea with that paint scheme on the prototype hull, and I'm sure he won't mind if we copy it! Denny