Antifouling removal

[mark_sabin]

can anyone offer advice about removing old antifouling in preparation for new stuff? What to use, any tips etc?

Mark



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[StugeronSteve]

There used to be an antifouling stripper available from International Paints. A jelly like substance that you painted on, waited for antifouling to blister, then scraped off with a wooden spatula or similar. Laborious but worked well from what I remember, lifting about five years of paint.

Let the yard do my last boat with a mud/slurry blaster, beautiful job with a perfect surface to apply new, and I didn't have to raise a sweat.

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[Fill]

Be careful with antifouling remover, it will take the paint off as well if you have painted topsides and get any on them. We had a yard, better be anon, who just threw it on the boat and then had to raise the waterline paint stripe to compensate for blistering the paint. The stuff works, but carefully follow directions.

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[Avocet]

You don't necessarily have to take it all off if it's well stuck to the hull. Just pressure wash the slime off and paint over it. I've taken mine back to bare hull for the first time in 7 years this season. I used a "Bahco" scraper with a replaceable Carbide blade. It's pretty hard work but cheap and (I found) reasonably quick.

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[mark_sabin]

Thanks peeps, Perhaps I'm being too keen in removing it this year. I believe it only has two seasons worth of antifouling coats on it at the moment. We only bought her last year.

Thanks for all the advice

Mark

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[Evadne]

Interstrip will not remove much more than that anyway, in my experience. Most people leave it until it starts to flake off in lumps before removing it all, which is 10+ years, but its hard work then.

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[CJU]

Somebody in our club has about 12yrs worth on his hull, it looks a bit bumpy but seems to do the job. My own yacht has at least 8yrs worth and I just smooth out around the odd bits that flake off, give the rest a quick sand with coarse sand paper and paint over it. Yard wisdom has it that yachts that have had it all removed seem to suffer more quickly with osmosis, who knows.

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[TheBoatman]

Some members of my club are going to use the slurry blaster stuff this winter and although I've never seen it used it is supposed to remove all the antifouling without touching the gel coat.
Could you PM me with the costs?
regards
Peter

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[PeteMcK]

Skin too..

Got a 3rd degree burn and 2 inch wide lifetime scar around my wrist where Stripeaze crept inside my rubber glove. Didn't feel a thing (that is, not till the nerves started to grow back several months later).

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[Joe_Cole]

I used a Bosch power scraper/chisel which worked very well. It saved a lot of hard work.

Joe

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[Miker]

Was that the Bosch 180 at around £60? It sounds tempting but is there much risk that someone hamfisted like me would end up chiselling a chunk out of the boat.

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[BarryH]

Dilunette gel stripper works well. Unlike some strippers it doesn't harden if its left on too long. In fact the more you leave it the less scraping you have to do. BUT as with all caustic paint strippers you have to take the appropriate precautions. I've found taping gloves close over your overalls stop stay bits getting where you don't want them.

Finish off with a light sanding and a wash down and your ready to start the next 10 years worth of painting.

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