painting and sanding fiberglass?

[Bobb-o]

anyone know of a way to strip old paint and then sand and paint a fiberglass kayak? just got one from some people who were gonna throw it away, and i want to spruce it up a little bit.

[mechanictim]

Most chemical strippers will damage the fiberglass under the paint. Get some wet dry sandpaper from a good auto supply store. Use a rubber sanding block and wet sand the surface to be painted. Start with 100 or 120 grit and then go to 400 then 800. Use a garden hose and or spray bottle or sponge with water and keep the surface being sanded wet. Use a bucket with water to keep rinsing the sanding paper and block. The water keeps the paint from clogging the sandpaper.

Make sure the paint you use is compatible with fiberglass, you may need to add a flex agent to some types of acrylic enamels. After the paint dries wet sand again with 1600 grit sand paper for a nice shine and wait a week or two for the paint to fully cure before waxing.