Best way to remove bottom paint ?

[abl1111]

Need the best, most cost-effective way to remove bottom paint - professional and DIY options.

Bought my '75 SC with red bottom paint 9 years ago. I sanded and faired it the best I could after a (12) month resto, re-painted w/ a nice, $$$, black ablative paint. I have been fighting that red paint ever since.

When I roll new paint on after scrubbing loose the winters 'oxidized' paint w/ a 3M 'doodlepad', large flakes of paint come off on the roller - right down to the that red paint !

So, if you have 'been there, done that' let me know...

Thx

[Bushwacker]

As Island Trader once told me, the most powerful paint remover is your checkbook! I had mine soda blasted, but it's expensive, about $1200 for a 20. I went that route because everyone I spoke to that had used chemical stripper/sanding method said they'd never do it again. A 23 might not be that much more, but be advised, soda blasting, at least the way it's done around here, WILL do significant damage to the gel coat, despite all the hype. Island Trader, FredH and I have all posted pictures of what the gel coat looks like post soda blasting. It will completely remove the gel coat in some spots, although maybe it won't be as bad if you had barrier coat under the bottom paint. If not you'll definitely need barrier coat after blasting. You'll be looking at a significant amount of filling and fairing. Check the post I made recently under Repairs.

If I had it to do over again, I would seriously consider using Interstrip, with sanding as required. However my bottom paint was applied when the boat was new, so it was ~ 38 years old and the Interstrip took off the old paint pretty easily, including part of the Signature finish bootstripe paint. The damage I would have done using that method would have been significantly easier to repair. I've heard that the newer bottom paints can be pretty tough to chemically strip, so you might try a spot before you decide. I stripped and painted the areas where I was going to put the boat stands before removing boat from trailer, and that gave me a pretty good feel for how hard the chemical stripping would be.

[BigLew]

abl1111,

I just happen to be in the boatyard the other day checking on a friend's boat for him.

I saw a truck next to about a 30-32 foot cruiser that had just been blasted. I stopped to get their card and noticed that there was no, I mean none, paint left on the the hull! Further, the surface was left with the least bit of texture to it; just perfect for a barrier coat product. (The owner was planning on doing that.)

I started to ask them about soda blasting and they mentioned that they had just finished using volcanic ash. I'd never heard of it used for that. But I'll tell Ya, it did one hell of a job. I would definitely check into the cost of doing that before I made any final decision.

[FELLOW-SHIP]

Hi Abl111

Removing bottom pain is one hard messy job that really can’t be done on your home driveway unless you live in a area that no one can see what you are doing. It’s a mess and you really need to lift your boat up in the air high enough to work on it if you want to DIY. I also had it professionally done using the soda blasting method. Then I had the bottom re gelcoated to fix the arrears that the soda blasting method went through the gel coat. If I were going to DIY I would bring it to a marine that would let you remove bottom paint have them put it high on blocks Rent a high pressure washer with the soda blaster hopper and go for it. Then re gelcoat the whole bottom yourself so you can cover up your mistakes and repair those arrears that need to be done. Your time is one day to set you your boat inspect the bottom and rent the equipment, one day to soda blast the bottom, one day to put on new gel coat and 2 days to sand bottom kind of smooth and re gelcoat your over sanded arrears. Then either buffing out the gelcoat or re painting new bottom paint. All in all you spent the better part of a week doing something you hate.

Make sure you first find the soda blaster and reserve it finding some one that has this equipment is usually not that easy.

I re did my whole boat EXCEPT removing bottom paint and re gelcoating the bottom for a few reasons
I could not do it at home, I hate working over my head and didn’t have a week I could take off work to do a bottom job myself.
I thing that Soda blasting method is the best way to go kind of like a wet sand paper job – you are not going to inhale some of the nastiest paint ever created that could mess up your lungs, and yet get the job done right.

If I were going to do it all over again I would do it the same way even if I had to take on a part time job for a few weeks to get the extra $$

FellowShip

………………………….

Just for the Grins

Official Antique Classic SeaCraft Owner

[Wags23]

My 23 had 36 years of bottom paint on it,previous owner just kept adding more coats. I had it soda blasted for 900 and he supplied the barrier coat and paint.I vinylestered than two coats barrier paint ,than two coats alblative.

[Islandtrader]

Check out Billy the Kids post. He is from your neck of the woods,?? and I think on his 20 he said it was $600 or so and the guy came to his house.