How do you get off bottom paint

[Island Man]

When I bought my boat nearly new, the guy had the bottom painted because he was leaving it in the water. It had already started coming off when I got it so he had them repaint it before I got it now its coming off in spots again. I do not keep the boat in the water and would like to remove the bottom paint. Has anyone ever done this, will it hurt the gelcoat, what to do? Can I just wait for it to wear off, may take forever.

[Tiara3100]

You can wait for it to wear off or you could have it soda blasted. The problem is, if the gel coat and/or fiberglass has been damaged or scratched open, water can penetrate the hull and cause blisters. If the previous owner did not do anymore then wipe the hull down with a dewaxer before painting, the paint will probably just peel off in time. If he sanded it, that could be a problem. In that case, you have to wonder what he was thinking.

Best bet, have the hull soda blasted, barrier coat it and re-paint.

Less expensive, touch up the bottom where the paint peeled and don't worry about it.

Cheap way, let the paint continue to wear off and don't worry about the way it looks. Just enjoy the boat and the money you saved.

[Island Man]

You can wait for it to wear off or you could have it soda blasted. The problem is, if the gel coat and/or fiberglass has been damaged or scratched open, water can penetrate the hull and cause blisters. If the previous owner did not do anymore then wipe the hull down with a dewaxer before painting, the paint will probably just peel off in time. If he sanded it, that could be a problem. In that case, you have to wonder what he was thinking.

Best bet, have the hull soda blasted, barrier coat it and re-paint.

Less expensive, touch up the bottom where the paint peeled and don't worry about it.

Cheap way, let the paint continue to wear off and don't worry about the way it looks. Just enjoy the boat and the money you saved.

The paint was done by a hopefully profesional marina so hopefully done right, will wait for it to wear off.

[tod0987]

Hey IM

I hear oyster shells work really well to remove bottom paint

[Island Man]

Hey IM

I hear oyster shells work really well to remove bottom paint

lol yeh paint and everything else. Been to EI fishing lately?

[tod0987]

lol yeh paint and everything else. Been to EI fishing lately?

No I haven't at work we provide a 24/7 service and with a man down on a 3 man team I've only had 7 full days off since the 2nd week of December. get the late afternoons off occasionally.

I did take the cover off today and climb in and draw up plans to fabricate a water/fuel filter bracket for the transom and a D shaped rod holder bracket for 6 rod holders to attach the back concave side of the rear deck to put rods in when the bimini is up and they don't fit under it. It's right in front of the motor.

[foursum]

I also think soda blast is the preferred method. However, I removed the bottom paint from a 25' cuddy cabin boat using wet sand blasting. I rented a special tip for a power washer that had a pick up tube for sand. It was rented from a rental tool store. I then bought a trailer load of sand from a local gravel company. I told them what I wanted to do and they recommended the appropriate grit. It took me over a week and more than 2000 lbs of sand. There was very little abrasion/damage to the gelcoat finish. I planned to have the boat regelcoated so I wasn't extremely careful to not roughen the gelcoat. I probably could have made it look great with some gelcoat rubbing compound.

Lots of luck making the decision.

Safe Boating to all!

[tm4unc]

I have the same problem with the hull paint. I agree that if it was applied correctly, ie sanded/ primed, soda blast and seal is the way to go. Judging by the gloss of the gel coat where it's flaking off at, I don't believe mine was done that way. That said would it not make more sense to use a gel coat-safe stripper? Just strip and wax. I've found some online at a non-sponsor. Around $40 a gallon if I remember right. If you can't find it send me an e-mail. I'm waiting for the weather to warm up before I try it.

[Tiara3100]

Depending on the type of paint used, stripers can work. Just be careful, some of that stuff is really toxic and burns like %$#@ if you get it in your eye. (been there, done that)

One thing I found with chemical striper's is they tend to change the color of the gel coat. While the striper alone may be "gelcoat safe", when it reacts with the copper in the bottom paint it can leave stains. Not saying it will happen, but can.

I'm a fan of the soda blast/barrier coat/paint method. See it done on new boats now.

In the case mentioned in the beginning of this post, I would just touch up the bottom. Striping is a lot of work with harsh chemicals. I would rather spend 10 minutes touching up a few spots, then hours applying striper, peeling off some paint and applying more striper.

Actually, forget the whole thing... I would leave the paint peeling and just go fishing.... Life's to short and the wife knows where to find me.....*surrender*