Soda blasting, Essex: any recommendations, please?

I had mine done at Titchmarsh last year. I can't remember the name of the firm that visits to do it but they do a few boats there each year. I had a look at some of their work the year before and it was very neat, and I was very pleased with mine.
 
I had mine done at Foxs, who I believe use a sub contractor. Very satisfied. Not sure whether grit or soda blasted but the end result was a splendid surface for application of new antifouling.
 
Rhoda Rose said:
Just idly thinking, as one does, what could one expect to pay for a
28' long keel boat. The thought of a 2" scraper fills me with dread.
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I've just had a look but can't find last year's bill but we both think it was something under £1000 for our 34 footer. At any rate, it was less than we feared.
 
This is our boat shortly after, when it was being worked on by Mr Smoothy's lad. The topsides end with a (dirty) white line below the blue boot-top. Originally, the blasting finished an inch below the join but smoothy had stripped the last bit before this photo.

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I was going to show a close-up but Photobucket is being silly today. There were some scattered tiny pits which Smoothy filled before re-epoxying, but nothing alarming.
 
NealB said:
Mr Smoothy: that's who did your boat?

Do you have contact details, please?
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He trades under the name of Smooth Finish. It's not so easy to paste it from my iPad, but if you look up on-site facilities at Titchmarsh Marina it should come up. The blasting was done by the visiting team but Smoothie did the epoxying and antifouling for me at a very reasonable cost.
 
johnalison said:
He trades under the name of Smooth Finish. It's not so easy to paste it from my iPad, but if you look up on-site facilities at Titchmarsh Marina it should come up. The blasting was done by the visiting team but Smoothie did the epoxying and antifouling for me at a very reasonable cost.
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Thank you!
 
I would say be careful with soda blasting. The boat next to us in the yard brought in someone to work on their boat. When we next got to our boat, the cockpit looked like this:



The contract came in to clean up, begrudgingly and having protested that he used skirts and that soda was harmless anyway, so I didn't put in an insurance claim. So we went ahead and launch but after the next time it rained it was back again:




So we scrubbed away ourselves, only to see some of it again the next time it rained. It also reacted with the varnish on the washboards, which needed redoing anyway so I didn't make a fuss at the time. The contractor responsible isn't mentioned on this thread, so that's a good thing. Luckily you're being careful with your choice of contractor, but do be aware that there can be a reaction and that it's a bugger to shift.
 
That's a terrible story. I think that most of us would be seeking full redress for that. At my marina, Titchmarsh, the balsting is done right at the back of the hard standing, well away from other boats.
 
johnalison said:
That's a terrible story. I think that most of us would be seeking full redress for that. At my marina, Titchmarsh, the balsting is done right at the back of the hard standing, well away from other boats.
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It looks like fine antifoam dust which raises questions about how the blasting was done and what protection was put in place both to protect other boats and people more importantly.
 
Supine Being said:
I would say be careful with soda blasting. ........
The contract came in to clean up, begrudgingly and having protested that he used skirts and that soda was harmless anyway, so I didn't put in an insurance claim. So we went ahead and launch but after the next time it rained it was back again:

So we scrubbed away ourselves, only to see some of it again the next time it rained. It also reacted with the varnish on the washboards, which needed redoing anyway so I didn't make a fuss at the time. The contractor responsible isn't mentioned on this thread, so that's a good thing. Luckily you're being careful with your choice of contractor, but do be aware that there can be a reaction and that it's a bugger to shift.
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Thank you for that warning.

I'd hate to think that a contractor that I'd employed had caused such damage to another person's boat.
 
petehb said:
It looks like fine antifoam dust which raises questions about how the blasting was done and what protection was put in place both to protect other boats and people more importantly.
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I didn't see how he did it, but he claimed that he had put up shielding to prevent it getting out. Not well enough, I guess. Whatever he was using (just soda or something else mixed in), it was causing a chemical reaction on my gel coat. I was also told at the time that a similar problem had occurred in the yard over the way with the culprit having to sand and re-varnish the damage, but I was never able to confirm if it was the same contractor.
 
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