Gelcoat Safe paint stripper

[Sea Change]

At some point in the past, a previous owner of our boat thought it would be a good idea to paint the floor in the heads. It's your standard gelcoat with diamond check pattern.
It's now flaking off to reveal a slightly yellowed surface, which isn't really that offensive. What's much worse is the constant trickle of tiny white paint flecks which get tramped through the rest of the boat and are just sticky enough to cling to the varnished sole boards.
It's not the end if the world but it's annoying to look at and very tedious to remove- the hoover won't touch them, you need to get down and scrub.

So I want to get rid of that white paint in the heads. I'm unsure what type of paint it is, but there was a can of white Awlgrip onboard when we bought the boat, so it could be that, which would be bad news.

Due to the texture, I think my only option is a chemical stripper.

Any suggestions for a stripper which will soften the paint but not damage the gelcoat? I'm in the US so may not be able to buy the same brands that are available in the UK. However if I know what kind of active ingredients to look for, that would be a good starting point. I've already browsed the selection at the nearest Ace Hardware and couldn't reach any conclusions.

 

[snowbird30ds]

I've used one called dillunet (spelling may be wrong as it was years ago) that was fine on gelcoat.

 

[ylop]

Any possibility to jet wash it? Up close they are really abrasive.

 

[Sea Change]

Any possibility to jet wash it? Up close they are really abrasive.

That crossed my mind, because the paint that's coming off already is just the result of people showering.
But I can't really imagine using a pressure washer within the confines of the heads... it's a pretty small space and above the floor there's veneered bulkheads which would be easy to damage.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Interstrip might work and won't damage gelcoat. Most paint strippers now don't damage paint either.

 

[VicS]

At some point in the past, a previous owner of our boat thought it would be a good idea to paint the floor in the heads. It's your standard gelcoat with diamond check pattern.
It's now flaking off to reveal a slightly yellowed surface, which isn't really that offensive. What's much worse is the constant trickle of tiny white paint flecks which get tramped through the rest of the boat and are just sticky enough to cling to the varnished sole boards.
It's not the end if the world but it's annoying to look at and very tedious to remove- the hoover won't touch them, you need to get down and scrub.

So I want to get rid of that white paint in the heads. I'm unsure what type of paint it is, but there was a can of white Awlgrip onboard when we bought the boat, so it could be that, which would be bad news.

Due to the texture, I think my only option is a chemical stripper.

Any suggestions for a stripper which will soften the paint but not damage the gelcoat? I'm in the US so may not be able to buy the same brands that are available in the UK. However if I know what kind of active ingredients to look for, that would be a good starting point. I've already browsed the selection at the nearest Ace Hardware and couldn't reach any conclusions.

You don't say exactly which Awlgrip product you think may have been used but I doubt if a chemical paint stripper will remove it. It may be worth contacting the manufacturers technical department for advice however.

If an ordinary gloss paint has been used a caustic soda based stripper such as Owatrol Marine Strip ( formally known as Dilunett) will remove it without damaging the gel coat.
It was the old dichloromethane based strippers which were not safe on gel coat

 

[William_H]

Look for an aircraft supply shop as they regularly strip the paint often polyurethane off polyester GRP components. Some strippers are pretty aggressive so b carefull. ol'will

 

[VicS]

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[VicS]

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