On Feb 6, 10:54*am, LS3 Pilot wrote:
Trying to do some work on my ship. *Does anyone that reads this forum
have experience in the best way to remove gelcoat? *I've got an area
thats too big to hand sand on the wing that needs some work. *A friend
suggested I buy a water sander that continuously feeds water to the
sander (similar to a pneumatic powered straight line sander).

What's the best tools to safely and effectively removing the old gel?

There's a thing called an "air file" auto body shops use.

http://www.pivco.net/index.php?main_...238#googlebase

It's a linear oscillating compressed air driven sander about 18" long
and 2.25" inches wide. I've been told they work pretty well with 80
grit and they have less chance of digging into the fiberglass than a
rotary grinder. Since it's air driven, I suppose you could safely use
wet sanding and avoid the dust.