DIY blasting - what are the cons?

[dgadee]

I have done blasting ... when I was 25. It is a lot more involved than the OP thinks, a lot more miserable, and a lot more expensive in rentals than the OP realizes. Not a DIY method, at all, unless the DIY is young and has done it before.

And unless you tent the boat, install an air filtration system, and cover the ground, you could be paying for a lot of clean-up and detailing some nearby boats. Most yards (mine for certain) won't permit this by DIYs.

Pro method.

I am the OP. I am not in favour - as you suggest - quite the opposite. I am happy to pay for a skilled man to do the work.

 

[B27]

I have done blasting ... when I was 25. It is a lot more involved than the OP thinks, a lot more miserable, and a lot more expensive in rentals than the OP realizes. Not a DIY method, at all, unless the DIY is young and has done it before.

And unless you tent the boat, install an air filtration system, and cover the ground, you could be paying for a lot of clean-up and detailing some nearby boats. Most yards (mine for certain) won't permit this by DIYs.

Pro method.

Same here.
The pros can do amazing work, I think 'soda blasting' is a thing? remove all the paint from a wooden hull without hurting the wood.

I sailed for a while on a 48ft boat. We did a few scrubs in a summer, using coarse wet'n'dry. By lift-out time we'd got rid of the AF build-up of a decade or two. Scotchbrite mesh pads are effective too.
Maybe some sort of air powered polisher and mesh discs would be worth a look.

Using a pro service is great when it all falls into place and just happens for a fair fee.
Other times, you're waiting for busy people to be free and you could have done it yourself in the time you've spent on the phone.

 

[KevinV]

Blasting gets it done in a few hours - a morning or an afternoon. And my hull was beautifully smooth, too.

My point is that sanding to the same finish as blasting will be a slow and laborious task. And yes, I did once give my brother a hand sanding and scraping all the antifoul of his small yacht - never again!

Exactly so - I did my little 22'er (which was a right mess) by hand between rain and storms last year - never again. In fact the experience was what convinced me to use coppercoat, so I don't need to do it again for years.

 

[thinwater]

Blasting gets it done in a few hours - a morning or an afternoon. And my hull was beautifully smooth, too.

My point is that sanding to the same finish as blasting will be a slow and laborious task. And yes, I did once give my brother a hand sanding and scraping all the antifoul of his small yacht - never again!

There is ZERO question that soda blasting makes sense as a pro method. But I don't think most DIYs should try this. There is know-how and set-up.

 

[trapper guy]

Blasting gets it done in a few hours - a morning or an afternoon. And my hull was beautifully smooth, too.

My point is that sanding to the same finish as blasting will be a slow and laborious task. And yes, I did once give my brother a hand sanding and scraping all the antifoul of his small yacht - never again!

blasting can be as harsh or fair as it likes, depends on the pressures used and the medium selected.
i think one should think carefully, and objectively question ones own skillset before even considering embarking on such a process

dry ice blasting is all the rage these days it seems, amongst car bodywork people at least.
which i admit causes me some headaches. dry ice is solid CO2, and were told CO2 is a bad bad gas.
something isnt computing.
how can the purchase of dry ice for blasting purposes have passed any of the draconian laws written to the detriment of the use of internal combustion engines?

i dont get the point of sequestering carbon dioxide if on the other hand it is released daily by such means as blasting,

 

[Tranona]

Why?

Because you need to get a perfect surface back to the gel coat and sanding as suggested will not get that. The biggest cause of failure on Coppercoat is poor adhesion from either poor preparation or poor application. The instructions are quite clear on what is required and it is foolish to ignore them with such an expensive product in terms of both material cost and application.

 

[greeny]

Get the blasting done professionally by someone who has experience of doing boats. Its a dirty, hot and risky job for the amateur who may take too much off and blast through the gelcoat in patches. No reason you can't do the coppercoat yourselves. Get all 3 boats blasted together to try to reduce the cost. Then three of you working on one boat at a time will keep the mixing and applying process going smoothly. Follow the application process and you will be fine. Keels will have to be done straight after blasting off course to seal the surface and stop corrosion onset. Epoxy primer would be suitable for that.

 

[greeny]

blasting can be as harsh or fair as it likes, depends on the pressures used and the medium selected.
i think one should think carefully, and objectively question ones own skillset before even considering embarking on such a process

dry ice blasting is all the rage these days it seems, amongst car bodywork people at least.
which i admit causes me some headaches. dry ice is solid CO2, and were told CO2 is a bad bad gas.
something isnt computing.
how can the purchase of dry ice for blasting purposes have passed any of the draconian laws written to the detriment of the use of internal combustion engines?

i dont get the point of sequestering carbon dioxide if on the other hand it is released daily by such means as blasting,

I'd better stop breathing then.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Get the blasting done professionally by someone who has experience of doing boats. Its a dirty, hot and risky job for the amateur who may take too much off and blast through the gelcoat in patches. No reason you can't do the coppercoat yourselves. Get all 3 boats blasted together to try to reduce the cost. Then three of you working on one boat at a time will keep the mixing and applying process going smoothly. Follow the application process and you will be fine. Keels will have to be done straight after blasting off course to seal the surface and stop corrosion onset. Epoxy primer would be suitable for that.

AMC provide a zinc rich epoxy primer for keels.

I've applied coppercoat, and I agree that for a 30' boat, three people are the ideal team. Two apply and one mixes and stirs. The latter job is crucial to getting a good result; if the mix is not stirred continuously the copper readily settles, with the result that there are copper poor regions.

 

[Refueler]

Blasting gets it done in a few hours - a morning or an afternoon. And my hull was beautifully smooth, too.

My point is that sanding to the same finish as blasting will be a slow and laborious task. And yes, I did once give my brother a hand sanding and scraping all the antifoul of his small yacht - never again!

If I am paying a guy to do the job .. I don't care how he does it as long as its successful and price is good.

I am at a stage in life - I have no interest in doing such work myself !! I also have enough in the bank - I can pay a guy to do it ...

 

[AntarcticPilot]

If I am paying a guy to do the job .. I don't care how he does it as long as its successful and price is good.

I am at a stage in life - I have no interest in doing such work myself !! I also have enough in the bank - I can pay a guy to do it ...

I too have reached the stage in life where that philosophy works, and where the right tool for a job is usually a competent professional!

 

[Rappey]

Why is laser cleaning/ removal not being used? It can clean the fouling off a boat without affecting the antifoul or just strip the whole lot with virtually zero mess?

 

[dgadee]

Why is laser cleaning/ removal not being used? It can clean the fouling off a boat without affecting the antifoul or just strip the whole lot with virtually zero mess?

Heat?

Edit: perhaps not. Just seen this: Boat Paint & Antifouling Removal - LaserTec

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Heat?

Edit: perhaps not. Just seen this: Boat Paint & Antifouling Removal - LaserTec

Lack of general availability and cost?

 

[Rappey]

Lack of general availability and cost?

These systems have been around for many years now. The laser welding looks amazing yet many british welders have not even come across it ?
It remove varnish and coatings from intricate antique wood with any damage at all to the wood.
Portable pulse lasers can be bought for £2500 upwards but no idea what they are suitable for.

 

[Metalicmike]

Sell your spouse and soul and pay someone else and don't pay till your happy

 

[IanCC]

Get the blasting done professionally by someone who has experience of doing boats. Its a dirty, hot and risky job for the amateur who may take too much off and blast through the gelcoat in patches. No reason you can't do the coppercoat yourselves. Get all 3 boats blasted together to try to reduce the cost. Then three of you working on one boat at a time will keep the mixing and applying process going smoothly. Follow the application process and you will be fine. Keels will have to be done straight after blasting off course to seal the surface and stop corrosion onset. Epoxy primer would be suitable for that.

Just out of interest, what is the problem if the gel coat is removed in patches if it then gets covered by coppercoat?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Just out of interest, what is the problem if the gel coat is removed in patches if it then gets covered by coppercoat?

Coppercoat erodes slowly, over many years. Removing the gel coat commits you to either renewing Coppercoat or removing it and replacing it with an epoxy coat well before the Coppercoat starts to wear through. Exposed grp can be subject to moisture wicking along the glass fibres, resulting in delamination.

So basically, shortened life of the Coppercoat and/or damage to the integrity of the hull.

 

[Rum Run]

blasting can be as harsh or fair as it likes, depends on the pressures used and the medium selected.
i think one should think carefully, and objectively question ones own skillset before even considering embarking on such a process

dry ice blasting is all the rage these days it seems, amongst car bodywork people at least.
which i admit causes me some headaches. dry ice is solid CO2, and were told CO2 is a bad bad gas.
something isnt computing.
how can the purchase of dry ice for blasting purposes have passed any of the draconian laws written to the detriment of the use of internal combustion engines?

i dont get the point of sequestering carbon dioxide if on the other hand it is released daily by such means as blasting,

All CO2 products; gas, liquid or solid, are extracted from flue gasses at power stations. Thus it was going to be vented to atmosphere anyway and has just been borrowed for a bit to do another job on the way.

 

[IanCC]

Removing the gel coat commits you to either renewing Coppercoat or removing it and replacing it with an epoxy coat well before the Coppercoat starts to wear through.

Why if the coppercoat hasn't worn through? Surely what you are saying is don't buy a second hand boat that is coppercoated because you can't be sure of the prep.