Soda Blasting

[rogerthebodger]

Calcium carbonate=limestone.

Could that be used to strip antifouling from a boat hull without too much damage to the gelcoat or underlying pint

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Could that be used to strip antifouling from a boat hull without too much damage to the gelcoat or underlying pint

Anything can be used to achieve whatever result is required - it depends on the skill of the operator. Softer grits like soda or calcium carbonate are more forgiving, but won't make much impression on a cast iron keel, for instance. If DIY, a softer grit will be less likely to damage the gell coat in inexperienced hands. But anything that will take paint off is likely to be harder than gel coat, so if you linger too long on one place, it will erode gel coat.

I seriously considered DIY blasting and looked into various options from the Karcher kit up to hiring a system. I came to the conclusion that anything that would achieve the result I wanted would have a steep learning curve during which it was very likely I'd either be frustrated by slow progress or damage the gel coat. So I hired a professional and was glad I did when I saw the skill and equipment required to do a decent job.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Yes when I blasted my steel boat I had a grit blasting pot but decided to get a grit blasting company in to do the job an like you I was glad I did as they used a trailer mounted compressor and a very big blasting pot, le alone the protection equipment.

I just use my pressure washer and a sharpened spade to clean the bottom of my boat every 2 years before putting 2 coats of red anti foul as used on the commercial ships maintained locally