Power sanding antifouling.

[VicS]

Anybody seen the article on page 77 of the june PBO.

For those who haven't: an idea from a reader, Sam Longley, for using a power sander on an extended handle so that he does not get covered in toxic dust.

No consideration given to the clouds of toxic dust drifting onto others in the area or their boats!

I have pretty good idea what i might do with a power sander on an extended handle if someone was using it near me /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

What idiots live in the PBO editorial office these days to publish such an idea?

If you read this Mr Longley Cr*p idea.

 

[nedmin]

I agree VicS. Another problem people dont realise is pressure washing A/Foul,The mist contains A/Foul and people breathe this in. They think its safe because they are using water.

 

[2Tizwoz]

This antifoul seems to be pretty dangerous stuff.

We cannot use power sanders to remove it.

We cannot wash it clean with a power washer.

Should we be using it?

 

[JIMCAT]

I have successfully removed several years build up of Hard Racing antifouling on my 45ft Cat with a mixture of Caustic Soda and Wallpaper Paste which I rolled on to the hulls a small section at a time, then scraped off with a Bahco TCT bladed scraper. The whole operation done with protective clothing gloves and goggles. The good news is that the operation can be done on a rainy day. Jim

 

[SimbaDog]

I was walking through a yard in Totnes recently & there was an oldish guy dry sanding down the antifouling on his long keeled yacht with not even a dust mask /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Managed to pass by and stay upwind, amazed that nobody in the yard seemed to be taking any notice /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Shearwater]

aNTIFOUL.....should we be using it?
Am begining to think that a twice a year lift up and power wash and dump back into the water is more efficacious than a £60 per tub (?cost) of antifoul. I'd like to see marinas offering deals to persuade boaties to use the jet wash i.s.o. antifoul paint. Surely the jet wash is far more environmentalllly freeeendly than copper ?????? Why shouldn't this become an issue? Surely there exists the chemists and physysisisisisists to support an ijuts idea?

 

[ccscott49]

You dont need to sand off copper, its all the nasty stuff, biocides etc, in the antifouling paint which is the real problem, copper sheathing is fine as is the modern equivalent coppercoat etc, just wonder how effective the copper epoxy/paint stuff is. But even copper sheathing needs a wash off now and again.

 

[samwise]

We used Removall from Cirrus Systems to take off a five year accumulation of antifoul. The stuff is a liquid that is sprayed or painted on and left for around 12 hours before you peel off the layers with a scraper followeed by a pressure wash. Some stubborn areas needed a second application but generally the stuff worked. It is a bit messy though and you would be advised to lay down polythene or something to collect the scrapings. It is quite expensive ( about £120 for a 20 litre drum that should do a 10m yacht) and you may have to buy a sprayer but Cirrus offer a brush application versio that is if thicker consistency. Set against the cost of slurry blasting etc and hard graft of dry scraping it seems pretty competitive. It is not environmentally hostile like the more aggressive strippers and while you should be masked up when applying a stripping it is nothing like as dodgy as dry scraping or sanding. Have look at the Cirrus website.