Bottom Paint

[Sean]

Alright, this is one of those things why you are doing it, you know its wrong but you keep going… ::)

It seems I have at least 3 coats of bottom paint on my hull, two blues and the first layer looks maroon ???
Well with all of this dry air there a sections that a chipping, so I tried at it with a scraper, No go, no I try with a 1.5’ chisel… success!!
It doesn’t seem to be scratching the hull, to bad, but was wondering how delicate the gel coat is? How carefully I have to be?? There still a light layer of the maroon/red on the hull so I don’t thing I am going to deep?
I figure I have a month or two so I will have at it a little at a time...
Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions ;D

[fly944]

GelCoat is pretty delicate when it comes to a chisel . I would sand or chemically strip the paint , neither of which are fun. Good Luck

[macojoe]

I have about 10 layers of paint!! :-/ No i really have no idea? I can tell you there is at least 2 coats of blue and I have added 2 coats of black since I have owned the boat.

I have wanted to strip it all off for years! But I am to scared od the amount of work, so I just add as i go.

I have heard that the chisel is a good way to go at it. But it must be sharp and you have to be careful of digging the gel coat.

Its going to happen!! nothing you can do about it! What is your plan? going to try to keep it white in the end or just trying to get it all the way down for a new coat?

If you going to recoat it then get it down as far as you can, fix gel coat with filler and repaint, if your going to try to strip all the way, then get as much off as you can and then go with a chemical for the last part.

I here Home Depot has stuff called BIX and I hear it does a great job of striping?

[Sean]

Today the plann is to strip it all the way down. But I have a feeling come march, when it is not near done, I will end up just painting it.. ::)
We will see..
Thanks!!!

[parishht]

Check out these two links, there is a lot of good information here:

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Repairs;action=display;num=11530111 75;start=

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Repairs;action=display;num=11533520 36

[Stillrunning]

Any way you try its a nasty job. When you scrap it falls in your face, sanding gets in face, nose, hair and anywhere else you can think of and stripping falls on you as you take it off. So have Fun! They do have soda blasting which is not too expensive and will not harm the gel coat. Its done in a couple of hours and are moble.

[randlemanboater]

Coke or Pepsi?

[parishht]

Ginger ale :o

[macojoe]

LOL

[Warner_Foster]

After reading, Mr. MACOJOE's mention of BIX stripper I called the company. The young lady told me that Bix Stripper can be used on gelcoated fiberglass. HOWEVER, it will degloss the gelcoat and should only be used if the boat is going to be repainted. When asked which one of their strippers would be best she suggested BIX Tuff-Job available at Home Depot and Lowes. She also suggested only covering about a two foot area at a time. Takes about 30 minutes to work. Because there is about 140 square feet of bottom paint to remove I will try it as soon as the Georgia weather gets back in the fifties.

[macojoe]

Let us know how you make out!! And I knew were different Bix's But didn't know which they had used!!

Good research!

[Sean]

Thanks for all the help/info... Doing small sections @ time seems the way to go...

[Mulv80]

Strippers are always good to rub on your bottom ;D

[parishht]

or is it good to have the strippers rub their bottoms on you. ;D

[sfprovyn]

I gave up on the bottom paint removal project on my v20 last year and sanded it as best as I could and put a good coat of west marine black bottom paint with a red line between the black and white and it looks great..I had about a 2 foot area clean but it just would not buff out and looked stained..They rough up the surface before applying bottom paint and damage the gel coat in the process so it will never look right..in my opinion..plus it was first put on in 83 and who knows how many coats after that...Its one of those things that looks easier than it is..Frank