Removing antifouling

martinriches

martinriches

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I am just about to tackle removing rough and patchy old antifouling. What scrapers should I buy. I notice Screwfix do 2 variety's. Are these the sort of things I want? Here and here

Martin
 
i have just done our 31ft yacht and used the 4in cheaper one you listed and it was fine for the first couple of hours then as your arms and wrist get tired you tend to get a bit slower and i started to score the grp so i changed to the smaller stanley bladed one, thankfully it all came off in just one day.
 
Has anyone any experience using International Paints Interstrip to remove anti fouling ?

They say :-
"An antifouling stripping product formulated for removing antifouling from all substrates. Safe to use on glass fibre without harming the gelcoat. "

I am thinking about giving it a try - it is quite expensive but if it works it might save a lot of elbow grease !
 
I would also go with the Dilunette Gel. It does not work so well as nitromers (can wreck gelcoat) but is pretty efficient. Need to leave on for a few days preferably in warm conditions before scraping.
 
My own experience with Interstrip was not great. 2 years ago I tried International's Interstrip product that was formulated specifically for antifouling (I'm not sure if they still market it). I thought this method would cause less damage to the gelcoat.
I made sure it was applied in accordance with all instructions I even covered it in cling film to keep it active for longer (much to the amusement of everyone else in the yard!). It made the top layer of antifouling slimey but did not penetrate to any significant depth.
The technical help desk at International pretty much admitted that the product was not strong enough. They sent me a sample of the replacement product which was certainly stronger and penetrated deeper but made a mess that was still difficult to remove.
In the end I resorted to a scraper with a vacuum attachment which proved much more effective.
There are some who swear by paint stripper but if I was doing it again I would scrape with a wider blade.
Good luck with it!
 
There was a thread a few weeks ago where somebody had stripped the old antifouling off using a power scraper from Lidl. They claimed it was easy and quick. I bought one of the scrapers from Lidl (£15) but am leaving my boat in until the end of this year.
 
I bought one of these Lidl scrapers, (couldn't resist! ) but since it has a chiseling action, I'm a bit doubtful lest it digs in to the gelcoat. Also, at £15 it doesn't run to a carbide blade, so I would expect it to rapidly lose its edge. Has anyone actually tried it to scrape A/F?
 
I just started to strip 7 seasons worth of AF using interstrip( didn't want to scrape since my boat has been epoxied and I didn't want to chip this). It seems very effective . I initially tried covering in cling film to get a longer action out of it , but the cling film melted! I have been using kitchen foil now to cover the interstrip when applied. Leave for hour, old AF comes off like butter. Wipe down with appropriate thinners to wash of the residue - plain epoxy ready for primer. It is expensive , but does seem effective at stripping the Cruiser Uno that's on my boat.
 
I have used chemical stripper and scraped dry. I prefer the dry scrape. Has the added benefit of giving you muscles in places you never knew you had. Two important things however; protect yourself (especially with goggles, dust mask, gloves and genaral skin protection) and collect the scrapings for safe disposal (don't just let them fall on the ground.)
 
I used International Interstrip to remove what appeared to be about 20 years of antifouling from my First 24 2 years ago. First attempt was in freezing January, the stuff was useless and I cursed the effort and expense. I then tried it again in March, when the weather was much warmer and it worked really well, much easier than handscraping I'd say. Its not cheap though, I used an entire tub for my 24 footer, which if memory serves me right was about 50 quid.
 
One point about Interstrip that no-one has mentioned is that the fumes are pretty intoxicating. I used it on a 16ft dayboat some years ago, in a car port at home, and after an hour or so, I found myself quite dizzy. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

It really needs to be used out of doors on a warm day.

It is a slow process, but I did end up with a clean unscratched hull.
 
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