pole sander/mesh for antifoul prep

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FairweatherDave

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Is it possible to get mesh to fold and stay on the end of a pole sander? or should I go for a coarse sanding sponge for AF prep.? Wet sanding of course. Bilge keel Konsort.
Thanks for any tips.
 
Yes it will fold and stay on a pole sander and cut well.You can also fold it into a wad so as to apply firm local pressure for awkward abutments or particularly thick local build up.
 
Use the mesh - it’s better than a sponge because the sanded-off sludge goes straight through it instead of clogging.

Pete
 
Brilliant, that's nudged me to try the mesh. Deviating my own thread..... obviously sanding down is not anyone's favourite job and the pole might reduce how soggy and blue I get. But the thing I have noticed is feeling giddy/verging on motion sick/headache from having my head low down and moving about a lot. It passes a few hours afterwards and is nothing to do with any paint fumes. But it is the one thing I am not looking forward too. Anyone else get it crawling around under a bilge keeler? Just curious :)
 
FairweatherDave said:
But the thing I have noticed is feeling giddy/verging on motion sick/headache from having my head low down and moving about a lot. It passes a few hours afterwards and is nothing to do with any paint fumes. But it is the one thing I am not looking forward too. Anyone else get it crawling around under a bilge keeler? Just curious :)
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My dad's reported getting that from various jobs involving crawling under something and looking up. Not sure he ever had a solution, just stopped doing those jobs (or got me or my brother to do it ;) ).

For what it's worth, sanding off antifoul with a swivel-head pole I never found I had to do much crawling around - I just stood and reached in with the pole. Our boat wasn't a true bilge-keeler, more a traditional long shallow keel plus a couple of bilge plates, but you might find you can just squat down and reach under instead of crawling in.

This is all in the past tense because we got the new boat coppercoated and don't have to sand the hull at all now ;)

Pete
 
slipknot said:
I use the mesh & a pole sander. Someone waving a hose to rinse/clear the mesh & Hull is a huge benefit.
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Hose on the hull is good, plus a big bucket to swill the sander off in. I used to use an old tile-cement tub, they're nice and wide compared to a typical bucket.

Pete
 
FairweatherDave said:
... the thing I have noticed is feeling giddy/verging on motion sick/headache from having my head low down and moving about a lot. It passes a few hours afterwards and is nothing to do with any paint fumes. But it is the one thing I am not looking forward too. Anyone else get it crawling around under a bilge keeler? Just curious :)
Click to expand...

Yes I used to get that, also antifouling a Konsort, and I attributed it to inhaling the solvent fumes. I therefore decided at age 70 I was too old to do my own antifouling and for the last few years have got the yard to do it. I still crawl around under the boat to treat rust on the keels etc. and it doesn't seem to affect me the same way, although I do get a bit of an ache in my neck.

A few weeks ago, after crawling out from between the keels my neck and shoulders were slightly sore so I lay flat on my back for a bit and admired the clouds passing overhead. Unfortunately this alarmed a passer-by who came over to check that I was OK. (I thanked him for his concern.)
 
Mesh on the pole sander worked a treat, and I didn't get too blue and soggy. Thanks forum.....:)
Better still, didn't suffer too much with my head. See what happens when I actually apply the AF. (Enjoyed your tale Alan)
 
Not used sanding mesh yet but want to give it a shot, what grit did everyone use? Mine is fairly smooth so probably about 120
 
Hah. Funny that. When I got to the boat I saw the packaging said "Fine" which I hadn't noticed. It was 120. I thought the girl in Toolstation had given me the wrong one. But that is the only grade they sell. I used it whatever and felt it was coarse enough for the job, (after all it is designed for something else). I was very satisfied with the job. The key difference to the green rolls of sandpaper I had tried previously is how it does not clog (let alone tear).
 
I did an article for pbo some years ago.
I got a length of 50 * 50 timber about 12 feet long.
On one end I fitted 2 bits of BAT strap each piece bent & drilled to fit the handle holes of a Draper orbital sander. I put 8mm bolts into the handle holes & a piece of bungee held the sander roughly upside down but let it tip to the curve of the hull.
About 1/3 along I used my mainsheet attached to a hook on the gunwhale of the boat so the whole lot was roughly counterbalanced. The jammer on the mainsheet allowed height adjustment.
By pushing down on the end of the pole it pushed the sander up.
By swinging the end of the pole about I could sand under the hull & keep clear of the dust
Adjusting the mainsheet for height & having it on a fairly long metal hook so I could reach up & move it along the boat meant that I could work easily along the hull
40 grit sandpaper, dry sanding worked because I was well clear & it was a powerful rotary orbital sander
When I did finally opt for copper coat, the 2 inch wide strip of thick antifoul around the waterline left by the sand blasting was removed by gently chipping with a straight blade in a chipping hammer.The antifoul was very thick so it broke away, if carefully chipped, but would not scrape with a tungsten scraper.
 
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