Stripping....Antifouling

[Guest]

Hi

My Moody has 6/7 yrs of anti-fouling on her. I would like to strip her back and start again. I am aware that you cannot dry sand anti-fouling.Whats the best way to get rid of it to start over again?

Hope someone can help

Regards

 

[claymore]

Yachting Monthly ran an article on the range of antifoul agents available a couple of years ago. I bought the one which they gave 5 stars to and then began the worst job I think I've ever undertaken. It acts like nitromors and sends everything gooey then its just sheer hard labour crouched under the hull with a scraper peeling it off. As with all these products, it doesn't simply peel off but leaves loads of crinkled dry bits which then need sanding before you can re-antifoul. I have promised myself never to do it again.
At the boatyard where I keep my boat there is a water driven sandblaster type of machine which brings it off a treat. They don't damage the gel and can even leave coatings such as gelshield intact. Antifoul is dreadful stuff and I really think its better for your health and temper to farm this job out. Believe me!

 

[brianhumber]

Used a commercial man sym blast from Poole last year.

Excellent well worth the money. Don't try and get this many years off by hand, you will regret it big time.

 

[ccscott49]

Slurry blasting! better than all the other methods and a lot less trouble.

 

[vyv_cox]

This weekend we (wife and self) completed removing about 5 years of antifouling, using a hand scraper coupled to a domestic vacuum cleaner. The scraper is a purpose-built device with a blade of hardened material. We used one blade (two sides) for the majority of a Sadler 34, put a second blade on for the last bits of tidying up. Job has been done fairly gently over three part-time wekends. No mess and not too much effort. Old antifouling is brittle and friable, the majority comes off with quite light hand pressure on the scraper. Only problem was that the scraper blade has very sharp corners, hence tends to dig in. This remedied by grinding off the corners.

Previously have used Dilunet, agree that it is messy but relatively light work with a pressure washer. Not an option in Holland, where environmental control is far stronger than in UK.

Slurry blasting sounds like a good way to go, but also seems to be not an option here.

 

[AndrewB]

I hand-sand, but ...

... keeping the surface wet, and wearing all-over protective clothing with a proper face mask, not the DIY dust version.

I suspect that the modern antifoulings are not so toxic as the older ones. They do not blister the skin so readily. But with a 6-7 year build-up you may well have TBT present, so great care is necessary.

 

[Guest]

Good Blaster Required - East Coast

Can anyone suggest a good slurry blaster on the East Coast? I tried to get somebody last year from Southampton, but the mileage charges made it all much too expensive.

 

[hugh_nightingale]

Re: I hand-sand, but ...

use genuine wet and dry paper kept VERY wet.

Seems to work a treat.