stripping old antifowl

[fiberglass jack]

does anyone know a good stripper for anti fowling, dont want to sand, I know a paint stripper will work I also heard a oven cleaner will work easyoff but dont know for sure, what i want to know is a tried and proven way

[Deeman]

I removed mine with lacquer thinner and dish soap. (dawn)
Brushed thinner on bottom paint till it's damp let it sit 5 min.
Take plastic or wooden scraper to remove paint from gel.
Wash down with soap water. Soap neutralizes the thinner.
Do it again till gone. didn't take me long to do both sides and transom.
Do not let the lacquer thinner sit too long on your gelcoat.
I have a little bit of witness mark but you can hardly see it. (white on white)
BUT, I do have a nice brown/oxford color drip line in my driveway.
Pics coming when camera comes home.
Eric H.

[Deeman]

Jack
Before (http://eharder.com/Eric/Boat/Aerocraft19.jpg)
After (http://eharder.com/Eric/Boat/Aerocraft0465.jpg) (at night)
I have not tryed to buff or anything. It came off pretty good.
Good Luck

Eric R

[Frosty]

I have seen a big boat out of the water for months. The guy said that his workers used the wrong antifoul stripper and softened the fibre glass. I didnt know you could do that? He went on to say that even after the job is done and everything seems ok the strong stripper can be still softening the fibre glass. He frightend the life out of me!!

You can get paint stripper that is supposed to be suitable for glass fibre -- well I can here!!

If its a soft ablative you will have to strip, If its a hard you might get away with scraping,- keeping a sqaure sharp edge to the scraper it is still a rotten soul detroying job.

The last time I did mine I paid 2 unskilled girls 7 dollars.50 cents per day to scrape it off to gell coat. It took them 2 weeks, but this didnt matter as I was doing work on the shafts any way.

[fiberglass jack]

someone told me he knew a guy who used oven cleaner but it could have been a wooden hull, its just that in the spring i have a boat to strip and the marinia does want sanding dust, i dont want to use a strong stripper has anyone ever diluted paint stripper with solvent?. Deeman it looks like your trick works well

[Hunter25]

A pressure washer on plastic or metal hulls will remove most of it. You have to go carefully on wooden hulls or you will remove wood, which I learned the hard way with my Chris Craft. Many layers will need several runs with the pressure washer, but eventually you will begin to see the hull peaking through the very thin bottom paint. A light scuffing on this and you are ready to paint again. Most paint strippers will attack fiberglass. You have to use fiberglass safe stripper, which I also learned the hard way.

[buckknekkid]

drag the thing somewhere and blast it. time is money. I'll call ya later this week:P

[fiberglass jack]

ray its a 30 catalina sail its at mimico and u know how they hate dust, wont be till next spring

[Eagle Boats]

Although I have never seen it done, I was told that you should take a piece of sailboat standing rigging, unravel it about three feet, and then use that to beat the hell out of the paint. The strands of rigging will not damage the gel coat, but will remove the much softer anti-fouling paint. Again, I never tried it, but this is coming from someone with a lot of experience under his belt.

[buckknekkid]

thats the best thing you can do to a sail bote:P Oh boy am I in trouble now.:D :D :D

[Frosty]

My pshyciatrist told me to do that too. It didnt remove anything but boy it felt good.

[buckknekkid]

wouldnt that be considered " flagrant flagellation" or " flogging a dead foul" oh boy I need a rest I think, wheres that shrink:?:

[Hunter25]

Every marina I have been in, use pressure washers. Work slow, it will come off and no dust.

[Eagle Boats]

Boy, I'm glad I didn't suggest using a hammer!