Bottom Paint Removal Question

[DYLBOSS]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal Question

your post should be a sticky here. Lots of people ask about wanting to remove old bottom paint. Lots of responders say it isn't worth it. You have shown this to be true--all for cosmetics. The most I recommend is painting over it.

Three days of toxic scut work that could have been spent boating, or doing more fun projects. How much is your time worth, per hour?
$500+ to finish it. (have you priced boat paint?)
Possible damage to hull and certainly, you have created a need for hull protection ("If it ain't broke, fix it until it is")
How many more days for the boat not to be available for boating, while it is sanded, primed, and painted--including drying time? And if it's a good marina, you should have a wait before they get to you.
Add the PITA factor of working under a trailer!
Not being hard on you; good for you for tackling a big job. But now that you asked for advice, and got some answers that are not all good news, hopefully others will learn.

Well, it's not all for cosmetics. A lot of the previous paint/barrier coat appears to be chipped or deteriorated. I can't tell which is which, so I figure I better just redo it to be sure. Yes, anyway you look at it.....PITA. However, I'm not gonna let the paint stripping demons win. I am gonna take on this project and muscle through it! I know the finished product will justify the means....uh, I think. I guess my OCD and type A stubborn personality won't let me be defeated.

 

[grego]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal Question

CHIPPED AWAY PAINT!!! lost on this one? Seems that
"With my little knowledge"! Most people, sand back the clear coat , then repaint, then re-seal.
please enlighten me!

 

[DYLBOSS]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal Question

Ok, so I'll provide an update on the project. My wife and I spent the entire day sanding down the paint on the hull. We made some good progress, about 90% done. Used 2 DeWalt vibrating finish sanders with 100 grit paper. Worked awesome. My wife is a saint for crawling under the trailer and sanding down the area in the small place that I couldn't get to. Both of us are spent. Our arms and shoulders feel like we just finished the tri-athalon.

Anyway here are some pics. Unfortunately the before pics came out lame and are unusable. Just use your imagination, nasty old gray chipped paint. I do have a question though. After sanding down all the paint, it appears that what I'm looking at is gel coat. Am I wrong? If what I'm seeing is gel coat, do I even need to put a new barrier coat on? The only gotcha here is that I found a spot that is about 4" x 1/4 " that appears to be down to the fiberglass (semi-opaque and golden in color). Any thoughts on this?

For some reason I can't get Photobucket to show the large images...Arrrgg. At least it's something.

 

[DYLBOSS]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal Question

bump for possibly stupid question about gel coat state.

 

[arks]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal Question

As a general rule, if there's no gloss to the gelcoat after the sanding then you need to apply a barrier coat. I can't tell from your pictures.

 

[DYLBOSS]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal Question

As a general rule, if there's no gloss to the gelcoat after the sanding then you need to apply a barrier coat. I can't tell from your pictures.

Ok, thanks. Basically it looks like oxidized gel coat. No gloss whatsoever. Finished sanding the entire boat today. What a difference. I guess I'll be putting on a barrier coat this week.

Is there a certain product I should use to wipe down all the dust off of the hull before I apply the barrier coat?

By the way thanks to all for the replies and help with this project! Much appreciated!

 

[grego]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal Question

As for the brown spot, you will need to take advice from the good people of iboats.. as for useing 100 grit sand paper to sand back the clearcoat , you should not ever use anything but 300 grit or higher! finish sander means "palm sander" with the 100 grit paper, it is a sure thing that you have waves into your jellcoat. Not sure what you wanted to do?

 

[arks]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal Question

I don't agree with grego about the grit. For proper paint adhesion the hull must be sanded to remove all the gloss. When I removed my boats bottom paint last year I used 100 and the marina manager told me I should've used 60 to save time and effort.
Remember- "The job you do is only as good as the preparation". I used to manage a powder coating shop and that was our mantra.

Is there a certain product I should use to wipe down all the dust off of the hull before I apply the barrier coat?

I used a tack cloth. Basically, it's a sticky rag. They're avaiable from any paint store. Wipe lightly.

 

[DYLBOSS]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal Question

Arks, I think you are spot on with the grit thing. I talked to a tech at Interlux, who told me that even if I have to use 60 grit to get the paint off, that I need to.

Needless to say, all worked like a charm and the hull is smooth as a baby's bottom. Will be slapping on the Interprotect this week, followed by the VC Performance Epoxy. Thanks to all for the great advice!