Removal of Anti Fouling

[martynl]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, I have searched previous posts but I can't find anything simliar to my query.

I have a boat that I keep on a trailer, the person who owned it before me has used Anti Fouling.

I have 2 questions:-

1) Could someone please tell me if I need anti-fouling, seeing as the boat is not kept in the water.

2) Can I easily remove the anti fouling, because it looks vile. Can anyone recommend a product that will make the job easier?

THanks

Martyn

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[tony_brighton]

1) - no you dont need it. A lot of performance sailing yachts are dry-sailed whereby they are launched only for the races - this means they keep a smooth and shiney bottom (and save a little weight). A quick wash off every time they come out is all that is required.

2) dont know - try the various manufacturers websites. Do you know which flavour of antifoul it is?

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[extravert]

You can scrape it off yourself, but if you are not going to reapply antifoul you will not get back to a perfect gelcoat finish. Small scraper marks are inevitable.

You can get a professional to get it off with some kind of abrasive blasting, but this may be more than you want to pay, and the finish again may not be suitable to be left unpainted.

You can get it off with chemical antifoul stripper. You must use one suitable for GRP though, Nitromors type will damage your gelcoat. If the gelcoat underneath is in good condition, this is the kindest way of getting it off, and you can end up with a very smooth and clean finish. However, it is not cheap (not so bad on a small boat) and is fairly slow and unpleasant to do, with the stuff dripping onto your head and clothes. There are two main makes (and a few other less well known) which are Interstrip from International, and Dilunet. I chemically stripped a 10m hull a few years ago, and it was a really unpleasant job, but the results were excellent.

<hr width=100% size=1>One day, I want to be a real sailor. In the mean time I'll just keep trying.

 

[Talbot]

if you want to get back to gelcoat and have a good gelcoat finish, scraping is out of the question, as is blasting. that leaves use of nitromors or equivalent which is very messy or use of <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.paint-stripper.co.uk/removall_paint_stripper_marine.htm>removall</A> which seems to be the best and cleanest system. I will know more at the end of next week!

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[Johnnygil]

Martyn

Hello and welcome, there was a post on here about removal of A/F where someone suggested they had used caustic soda diluted with water and also added
wall paper paste to make it stiff , so that when it was painted on it did not run but stayed there. They then went to the pub for 2 hrs and came back and then the A/F scraped off easy......

Honest this was posted by a regular who has come up with some good stuff.

Why not try searching for wallpaper paste ......god this sounds mad but people were asking what quantities of each.

After posting this I am gonna do a search myself now as I feel mad.

J

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[BrendanS]

you mean this one
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=pbo&Number=471593&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1>click here</A>

<hr width=100% size=1>Utinam logica falsa tuam philisophiam totam suffodiant

 

[Johnnygil]

Thats the one ..............wonder if it works??????????

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[martynl]

Thanks to everyone you replied. I'll give the caustic soda method a go.

Cheers

Martyn

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[VicS]

Please be careful caustic soda is pretty nasty stuff.

The solution will get pretty hot as you dissolve the solid in water. Keep stirring as you add the solid or you will find you have a solid mass in the bottom of the bucket which takes ages to dissolve. Galvanised vessels are unsuitable as the caustic will remove the Zn likewise it will dissolve aluminium but beware of getting polythene so hot that it softens, polypropylene would be better. Good impervious gloves are essential and a full face visor fitted to a safety helmet would be preferable to goggles but a well fitting pair of googles is the absolute minimum, not safety specs, together with some impervious headgear. Wear impervious clothing, an old set of PVC waterproofs perhaps, and welly boots.

I don't know how you are going to apply the stuff to the hull, caustic soda will remove the bristles from an ordinary paint brush!

You should also have something acidic handy to wash any splashes off yourself, a solution of citric acid or vinegar perhaps.

Above all else do not risk getting any in your eyes as permanent damage will be caused quite quickly It will be indescribably painful and you will not be able to open your eyes yourself to wash it out.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>Ne te confundant illegitimi.</font color=purple>

 

[VicMallows]

In the latest (April) YM there's a 'Readers Letter' (Cost Cutters?) suggesting the use of PETROL. I found it incredible that in todays safety climate this was even published, and I certainly hope it was not intended as an April Fool.


Vic

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[longjohnsilver]

Ok it mite cost a bit more but still easier and more environmentally friendly to have the hull sand/slurry blasted. If it's done well it leaves an ideal base for epoxying/antifouling.

Forget all the witches potions, too many risks involved.

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