Tools for sorting grp cracks/ polishing/ prepping hull for painting etc.

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steve yates

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Looking around at best ways to do all this stuff, I'm trying to fig out which tools I need to buy and whether I should just hire them.
For instance, prepping and painting the hull will need platforms and orbital sanders, and isn't something I will be doing again for a few years, so I'll probably just hire hire them.
It looks like a dremmel will be very useful tool to get though, for opening up stress cracks etc prior to repair and will have a lot of other uses so I will get one of them. Can they be used for compounding ? I have been using a palm sander and an oscillating tool for sanding the wood and scraping old vinyl residue off inside, and I have a grinder.
I will prob need to get some kind of polisher for buffing up the grp or can I use polishing discs on the orbital sanders for that while they are hired?
Is there anything else you would reccomend as being useful? And any recommendations on makes!
 
Are you polishing or painting?
Or are you talking about painting the Hull & polishing the deck & Cockpit area?
Properly applied paint won't need buffing & in a lot of cases this isn't possible, it depends on your paint system.

I would say most of the tools that you will use for this are ones that you will use long into the future.

Orbital Sander - Bottom every year, decks, hulls, woodwork & a myriad of otherjobs. That said, if you have the opportunity to hire a professional quality tool for this job then probably worth it. I upgraded to a professional Bosch sander last year & its night and day better than the old palm Bosch I used before.

Platforms. - I guess you could hire these, but you can set up your own staging with planks between barrels / saw horses etc.

Dremel - Useful for cracks. Not so much for compounding unless you want to be at it for the next decade.

Grinder - A weapon of mass destruction, it doesn't belong anyhere near a paint job.

A polisher for GRP is a good investment. I have the cheapish Silverline one, its not the best out there but its brought my hull up nicely the last 3 years.
 
I use a Li-Ion Dremel for things like scratches and crazing on GRP. It's a much nicer tool to use than the cheapo mains 'rotary tool' I also have.
Mine was a gift, they are expensive, but I've used it a lot and it's still good, must be 8 years old now at a guess.
It may be worth buying a couple of builder's trestles and scaffold planks, or even a baby scaffold tower, because other wise you'll spend a lot of time to-and fro the hire shop. It depends if you can store them when not in use, and whether you can use them at home. for us, they've been useful for housebodging and attacking the high hedge.
 
I was watching Fuzz Townshend using a angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disk on a GRP Lotus to grind out the cracks and fill with glass fiber and resin filler.
 
Steve, I refer you again to my presentation on gel coat renovation. https://wiki.westerly-owners.co.uk/images/8/86/Gel_coat_renovation_19May2020.pdf

The combination ladder I show on page 5 is from MachineMart and is very worth while owning for many other jobs. It will pay for itself very quickly and you will wonder how you managed without it. It goes easily in the back of my estate car for transport.
Clarke SL-2C 4-Way Combination Ladder & Platform - Machine Mart - Machine Mart

Dremels are very good for small areas only. The Silverline sander/polisher is the tool to buy. Again read the presentation for tips and pads/discs to buy. However the tool I use most is a Fein Multitool. Until you own one and realise how versitile it can be, yes it is expensive and other brands are available with less attachements. I have used it for sanding with different size heads, compounding intricate areas, sawing in difficult places, chisel off things like TreadMaster, etc.

Cost wise the ladder is under £100, the sander/polisher with some extras for sanding and polishing about £75, a multitool from £100 (Fein about £200+). Compare that to the hire charges and you could easily spend that amount, plus the hassle of continually going to the hire shop (wasting time you could be working on your boat).
 
Buying is an option but we will be working on the hull and top sides as a pair, buying two is overkill. The silver line sounds good, as does the platform. We might buy one of each and hire another.
Is a multi tool an oscillating tool? I have one of them if so, and we have been using that and a detail sander on the teak.
 
If you want to get rid of all the antifoul buy a vacuum scraper. Also, a vacuum cleaner is essential if you do a lot of sanding. One that fits on your sanders, grinders and vacuum scrapers.
I would make sure that I have one set of decent power tools and if the planning is such that the second person also needs the same tool, Lidl, etc is your friend.
 
I have loads of power tools but very few that I use on the boat. For removing antifouling (about once every 7 years) I use a Bahco hand (pull) scraper, the blades are pricy but one will do a side, once you get the knack it is much faster than paint stripper or sanding, you still need a proper mask though. THe thicker the AF build up the easier it is to scrape it off. I polish the grp by hand using good old elbow grease but good quality abrasives and polish (3M) make it easier. I do use an oscillating sander on bare wood if it is flat but again Ifinish by hand. Rubbing down you painted topsides may deserve a power sander if it is quite rough but again the right grades of wet and dry will do it if it is changed regularly, you could start with 600 grade then 1200 and down. Doing this painting requires time , effort patience, good access and fine weather, a good run of planks at the correct height makes rolling on and tipping off 100% easier. This is the main thing you are going to need. Dont take a belt sander or angle grinder anywhere near the boat. A cheap battery powered drill/driver is worth having.
Polishing and waxing bare grp on the coachroof can be done any time and is probably easier after launching .
So the main thing you need is the planks and trestles, if you decide to make the latter from timber, slope and triangulate everything, rectangles are never stable for long. Many boat yards have trestles and planks that can be borrowed.

Something I forgot to mention on your acrylic thread, drill the fixing screw holes slightly oversize to allow for a wee bit of thermal movement, particularly if your acrylic is relatively thin.
 
steve yates said:
Buying is an option but we will be working on the hull and top sides as a pair, buying two is overkill. The silver line sounds good, as does the platform. We might buy one of each and hire another.
Is a multi tool an oscillating tool? I have one of them if so, and we have been using that and a detail sander on the teak.
Click to expand...
Yes, a multitool is an oscillating motion. That is how it works as a saw.

Do not buy two of everything. Just keep each one working working continuously and keep swapping who is using it. It is surprising how many jobs will still need doing with detail work.
 
I'll second the recommendation for Bahco scrapers, I have a straight and a triangular bladed one , very effective for stripping paint or old varnish off, even large areas - people use them to scrape old antifoul off whole hulls...
 
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