antifoul removal, sodablasting etc?-updated
Submitted by Rob H on Fri, 2013-11-15 12:31
who has removed antifoul from their fibreglass boats, and via what method? Sodablasting I believe leaves pitting in gelcoat and will need recoating? Peelaway and similar products seem to only remove the antifoul and leave the epoxy barrier coat? Any other suggestions or success/horror stories?
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.thumbnail.jpg "Abrohlis spanglie")
pelagicyachts
Posts: 1322
Date Joined: 23/02/11
wet sanding! - hahaha - oh
wet sanding! - hahaha - at Boat Lagoon Marina in Phuket i saw a couple of locals working on a 50 ish foot Viking, there was about 4 guys wet sanding the hull _ only realised a few days later they were taking it back to the gelcoat -
Soooooooo you could do that - or soda blast! - if done properly (ie not to fast or hard on) it should not pit the gelcoat too much -
Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Yeah wet sanding would be on
Yeah wet sanding would be on the "avoid" list!
what can be done to restore the gelcoat?
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
I wet sanded the back of my
I wet sanded the back of my Trophy to get some bad decals off...12 hrs of polishing later it was alk good!!!
pelagicyachts
Posts: 1322
Date Joined: 23/02/11
well depends how bad it is
well depends how bad it is after the blast and how good you want it too look....
you can fill or "repaint" if its micro - either way the best result once the gelcoat is off is to wetsand and buff - its actually not that bad once you get it back to a smooth surface - i dont mind wet sanding - just not undersides.... you end up getting soaked and itchy!
Are you removing to improve the look?
Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Yeah id like to get back to a
Yeah id like to get back to a clean bottom if poss
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The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Georgejungle
Posts: 354
Date Joined: 25/03/09
Rob soda blast does it
Rob soda blast does it wellbut its about 15K for a 50 ft crayboat by the time you get the gelcoat repaired< Nothings cheap in this world
Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
thanks George, but why would
thanks George, but why would they get the gelcoat repaired on a crayboat, I thought theyd just antifoul over it?
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The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
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Muppet
Posts: 408
Date Joined: 23/11/09
mr muscle
and wet sanding.
I did a 6.5mt fibreglass with cans of mr muscle, caustic soda type, high pressure wash and hit it with fine wet sand.
looked better than what it did. try it on a small bit and see what you reckon.
.
Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
thanks Muppet, I might just
thanks Muppet, I might just give it a try. How long did you leave it on for?
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The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
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Muppet
Posts: 408
Date Joined: 23/11/09
Not long
Spray it on and you will start to see it take effect. Probably left it about 5 mins tops, but some areas were harder to get of than others so it took a few goes.
I cleaned the supermarket out in onslow for about a 3 month period !
just make sure if you are going to it under the hull, you wear protective gear, dont want any caustic on your face (i found out once )
Hopefully your boat has been stripped each time before being anti fouled again, that will make it easier. Mine wasnt, it had been painted straight over the top of the old coats and that made it harder.
do a little bit and use a pressuer cleaner, see what you think.
dont do it on your lawn or anything where you want something to grow.
I'll try and dig up some before and after photos of our old tub.
cheers
.
Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
thanks for that, yeah its
thanks for that, yeah its looking easier to just strip the antifoul not the barrier and then redo in white antifoul though I imagine white will leave a tideline.
Boat lives on the trailer with a few weeks on my mooring and a week in the water here and there for the islands.
I'll flick thru an email address via PM if its easier for pics
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
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Muppet
Posts: 408
Date Joined: 23/11/09
thats
exactly what we did. Left white primer/etch whatever it is called on the bottom. still looked 100% better.
.
Sea Hunter
Posts: 148
Date Joined: 04/07/13
citrus strip.
I saw a product at the boat show that i was going to give a go that was made from citric acid. i dont know if anyone has tried it.
what about chemical paint stripper?
Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
decided, rather foolishly,
decided, rather foolishly, bugger it Im going to get into doing this.
Quickly discovered that whoever put the antifoul on hadnt etched the gelcoat so its in really good nick underneath.
However instead of sticking like shit to the proverbial-its worse.
Before shot
I experimented with doing the transom first, took a few hours but got there
I took it down to the Coop and hit it with their mega pressure cleaner-didnt even look like touching it.
Using oven cleaner worked quite good but then I got some "PeterG's antifoul stripper" which was pretty good on the antifoul itself but not so flash on the barrier coat where the ovencleaner seemed better but with a shitload of elbow grease.
Scotchbrite pads and lots of swearing got me as far as I could go on the trailer
So time to get her off and onto blocks
Ive now got all the antifoul off but still getting the barrier coat off which is the hard bit
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
complete and clean!
bloody glad to complete that job
and going back on the trailer!
Took an hour to get off the trailer and about 20 minutes to get back on.
A very labour intensive job but I certainly learnt a few tricks to speed it up-took me 11 days of graft but Id do another for the right price, I know what its worth and it just takes a bit of fortitude and the right chemicals!
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
big john
Posts: 8751
Date Joined: 20/07/06
Looks good
Looks good Rob.
Be interesting to see if your top end speed / economy improves now.
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Rob H
Posts: 5806
Date Joined: 18/01/12
at 4000rpm it did 21-22 knots
at 4000rpm it did 21-22 knots as opposed to about 20 before however this can easily be attributed to different conditions so who knows.
I didnt expect anything significant-in fact as with a golf ball, a smooth surface can actually cost speed also.
Glad to have it complete!
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Swompa
Posts: 3891
Date Joined: 14/10/12
Bit late I know, but gunwash
Bit late I know, but gunwash works a treat on International inter speed. Not nice stuff though.