: Thanks for the replies. Now I have some different things to try.

: It doesn't matter what grit of sandpaper I use, 80 or 150 both leave swirls.
: The sandpaper I get is a more expensive kind, but I do tend to overuse it.
: Also I think I'm probably going to replace the pad. The pad is in ok shape
: but certainly isn't helping any. Its a cheap sander thats been used a lot,
: so probably the best solution would be a new sander but I'll try to get
: this one to work first before I spend money on a new one.

Marie, over-using sandpaper only means that you are sanding with dull grit and not doing much sanding. The grit on paper is quite sharp when new and dulls with use. Change paper frequently in order to maintain consistent quality of sanding. The grits that you are using are too coarse for finishing work. I use 80 and 150 grits for successive aggressive sanding, increasing the grit to get a finer and finer finish. Go to finer paper and spend some good money on a sander. I spent the big $$$ on a Dewalt ROS - I can't remember which one, not at home now but it was the best available at the time. Dewalt and Bosch are good choices. I am sure if you ask, the folks will offer up their best opinions on ROS sanders. I recall someone saying that a palm sander was good to use as well. Make sure they run with high RPM's, 12-14 000 as stated previously. If you plan on building more kayaks or refinishing furniture, you'll see the result of getting your moneys worth outta the thing.

Robert N Pruden