Bottom paint removal

Bushwacker · #1 12-11-2007, 10:50 PM

Tom Fabula, who owns Signature Finish, recommends use of a chemical stripper. Says to give it plenty of time to work, and should be able to scrape off w/putty knife. Said to plan on going over it a couple of times, as first coat won't get everything. Also said to plan on some light sanding to get whatever is left.

BigLew · #2 12-11-2007, 11:46 PM

There is a product by "Captain John" that is carried by some West Marine stores. It is a store manager's decision on whether to carry it or not. There was some talk of putting it in the inventory on a company wide basis.

Anyway, we had a demo of it one weekend at West when I worked there. First, it is all natural with no caustic components. Two, you need to leave it on and not let it get below 50 degrees. Once applied, (roller, slabbed on by brush or sprayed) it needs to be covered with suran wrap or some other non-poruos film product. Even leave it on all night. Afterward simply take a plastic blade and scrape it off down to the gelcoat letting it simply fall into a paint tray or bucket. (The removed bottom paint is toxic!)

We took 5 coats of bottom paint off a wooden dingy with one application leaving only what paint there was embedded in the grain of the wood. About 80-90% of the wood was totally paint free. The stuff works!

Captain John's web site is:

http://www.captainjohnsboatbrite.com/Soy.htm

He's got a whole line of cleaner/polishing products and I use them for my car, boat, etc. Great products and a real nice guy to deal with!!!

Bushwacker · #3 12-12-2007, 12:24 AM

Quote:

(The removed bottom paint is toxic!)

I guess this means the stuff you scrape off has to be taken to local household hazardous waste disposal site?!

BigLew · #4 12-12-2007, 08:03 AM

It should be properly disposed of. Its the the dopper in the paint that is toxic, not the pint remover. The paint remover is soy based, but it really works!

He has another product called "Icky-Sticky." My daughter crunched the side of my car door pulling the car into the garage. (She's just getting her lisence). Miner metal bendindig, but a fair amount of paint on the car door. The icky-sticky took it all off in about 4 minuts with NO hard rubbing like you'd expect with rubbing compound. That stuff is citrus based and smells like oranges! Go figure!!

for what it's worth, the thing I'm most impressed is that "Captain John" has his cell phone number on the back of every bottle and takes your call!! He'll answer any question you've got to ask!!! The guy knows it works and believe me, it is better than anything I have used to date.

BigLew · #5 12-12-2007, 08:04 AM

It should be properly disposed of. Its the the copper in the paint that is toxic, not the paint remover. The paint remover is soy based, but it really works!

He has another product called "Icky-Sticky." My daughter crunched the side of my car door pulling the car into the garage. (She's just getting her lisence). Miner metal bending, but a fair amount of paint on the car door. The icky-sticky took it all off in about 4 minuts with NO hard rubbing like you'd expect with rubbing compound. That stuff is citrus based and smells like oranges! Go figure!!

For what it's worth, the thing I'm most impressed is that "Captain John" has his cell phone number on the back of every bottle and takes your call!! He'll answer any question you've got to ask!!! The guy knows it works and believe me, it is better than anything I have used to date.

bigeasy1 · #6 12-12-2007, 10:08 AM

Anyone know how much stripper it would take for a 23 footer?

I have a Tsunami with a hard black bottom paint on it.I try to convince myself that i should just leave it the way it is,but i know deep down i'll end up removing it.
The Captain John stuff seems interesting,but at $125.00 per gallon,i wouldn't want to buy extra.

BigLew · #7 12-12-2007, 07:25 PM

A gallon of Soy Strip should do a 23', maybe you'll need an extra quart. If you use SoyStrip, or most anything else for that matter, you don't want to "brush" on/in. Just lay it up on the hull, fairly thickly, and let it do its job. Don't be in a rush to take it off, let it work 4 to 12 hours; it takes longer to break down bottom paint than it takes to break down house paint!!!

With SoyStrip, you'll want to cover it with plastic wrap or some other plastic sheeting product. (I'd use vapor barrier that I buy on a roll.) What you want to accomplish is to not let the product dry out while it is on the hull.

Follow the directions, beware of the lowest temperature likely to occur and follow the safety precautions. Good luck.

Be well.

capjohn · #8 12-12-2007, 07:48 PM

could I suggest a Classic Sea Craft Club discount?

Islandtrader · #9 12-24-2007, 09:38 PM

Quote:

A gallon of Soy Strip should do a 23', maybe you'll need an extra quart. If you use SoyStrip, or most anything else for that matter, you don't want to "brush" on/in. Just lay it up on the hull, fairly thickly, and let it do its job. Don't be in a rush to take it off, let it work 4 to 12 hours; it takes longer to break down bottom paint than it takes to break down house paint!!!

I bought a gallon of this stuff. It works very good on the top coat paint. However it hardly budged the bottom paint.
I let it sit over night followed instructions. I am happy with the top coat removal.
For my time and effort I will take the boat to a boat yard and have them blast off the bottom for about $700. It is worth that much not to fart around with something that is an ugly job. The topside is OK since the stuff does wrinkle it and it is easy to wash off.