Bottom Paint Question

[Jersey Jim]

I'm looking for my first Parker (1801CC) and have located one nearby. However the bottom is painted and I'll be trailering it only. Is there any process to remove the bottom paint and will it look close to original or is that out of the question? Also, is there any risk to damaging the gelcoat underneath? Can it be regelled after removing paint? What process is used to remove the paint? Sanding, scraping? Or is this something that should not be touched once it has been painted?

Jim

 

[Anonymous]

been down this raod a few times,with customers...i had a proline once,the bottom paint was way high,had the boat sand blasted,the area that was previously painted,i sanded,wet sanded and buffed with compound-came out excellent !!

the easiest way to get the paint off is to have the bottom sand or soda blasted,you've in jersey,right ??? give coastal soda blasting a call,i use these guys...
after the bottom is blasted,you should be able to get it smooth and slick enough to be buffed out...the parkers have a real thick gel coat finish...
other guys are gonna suggest different things,if you would like more info,drop me a line....

 

[Megabyte]

Soda blasting would be your best bet at removal. Once the paint is off, you can re-evaluate the finish to determine if it can be restored, or if it needs to be gelcoated.

Restoring the bottom is absolutely possible. Only you can decide if you are willing to spend what it will take to do so.

 

[Jersey Jim]

First of all, thanks for the info. It was encouraging to hear. Any ideas how costly it would be to perform this soda blasting/gel coating to an 1801CC. They just look so nice with the factory finish.

Jim

 

[dcunniff]

Here is an option if you want to consider it yourself.

I don't anyone that has used it personally.

Peel Away, one web page to look at, http://www.dumondchemicals.com/html/app ... htm#marine

Apply it, react it, peel it away, and throw it away. Maybe some scraping.

Dana

 

[dcunniff]

Also, as a do it yourself option and I don't know people that used this either.

Aqua Strip and other products from Back to Nature Products, http://www.ibacktonature.com/Pages/mari ... ip-PD.html

Several Parker owners have used services to sand blast the boat bottoms to trailer instead or remove paint they didn't like, or that was too built up.

Dana

 

[jpg1969]

I have gone through this process to remove hard bottom paint so that I could use the newer "ablative" style technologies. In my experience, Peel Away did not work as advertised and I followed their instructions exactly as prescribed (including air temp which is most critical). If I had to do it again, I would go with soda blasting without hesitation.

 

[jdbic]

Is soda blasting like sand blasting? Can I do it myself? This year I need to repaint the bottom.

 

[TomS]

Is there a downside from leaving the bottom paint on?

-- Tom

 

[Megabyte]

Is soda blasting like sand blasting? Can I do it myself?

Soda blasting is not like sand blasting...
Without extreme care, sand blasting would ruin the bottom of your boat.

Can you do it yourself? Probably not... thought I do not know the extent of your resources.

 

[Anonymous]

Is soda blasting like sand blasting? Can I do it myself?

Soda blasting is not like sand blasting...
Without extreme care, sand blasting would ruin the bottom of your boat.

Can you do it yourself? Probably not... thought I do not know the extent of your resources.

this isn't true...

there's a considerible amount of misinformation surrounding this very subject...i've had numerous boat sand blasted,to remove the bottom paint,"numerous" being more than 45...not one,was damaged in any way shape or form-EVER !!! the reason i now use soda blasting,is simply due to the fact the gentleman who did the blasting for me gave it up,i found coastal soda blasting and i began using them...
the media,media being either sand or baking soda,is shot at the hull with approx 100psi air pressure...go read the pressure washer either you use or the marina uses to pressure wash the bottom...alot higher pressure huh ??? when you hear the word "damage" concerning blasting,the damage was allready there...if the hull had blisters,or voids,the pressure from the water or the air will blow them out...gel coat is pretty thick stuff,it's pretty difficult to blast the gel off,if the gel does come off,there was a problem underneath,the blasting certainly didn't cause it...personally,i've never seen a case where blasting has damaged a hull,and i've been doing this for quite some time... :wink:
one thing i read from a moderator on another site concerning blasting was really funny,this gentleman actually claimed "blasting fiberglass disturbs the matrix of the glass",exactly what that was supposed to mean,i'm not sure...

don't be afraid of blasting,either sand or soda,it's not a problem,it's the best approach to removing the build up of paint...i've actually had boat's that the paint line was too high,after the boat was soand blasted,these areas were sanded then wet sanded and buffed,they appear to never have been painted... :wink: got pics to prove it too...

removing bottom paint,and repainting...
it's true if the hull is over 5 yrs old about it not gonna blister...however,it's like this...it's common to have a hull blasted then voids are discovered,the voids are repaired,then the hull should be barrier coated,this will seal the repairs as well as smooth out the surface,then i use the process i described earlier...

if you guys have questions concerning this and you want the truth,not rumors or incorrect answers,gimme a call...609-214-7556 i'll be glad to discuss this with you... :wink:

 

[B-Faithful]

Maybe you know some good guys with it Jimmy but sand blasting is much less forgiving than soda blasting. My father had is last boat sand blasted and he had to spend a lot of time filling voids where the operator spent too much tim in one area. Soda blasting is much more forgiving to the operator. When I had the bottom stripped on 2 of my boats, I clearly chose soda blasting. My father said he would definately go with soda in the future.

While sand blasting can work just as well with a good operator, soda blasting is much more forgiving. If you chose to sand blast over soda blast, make sure it is someone good. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe you know some good guys with it Jimmy but sand blasting is much less forgiving than soda blasting. My father had is last boat sand blasted and he had to spend a lot of time filling voids where the operator spent too much tim in one area. Soda blasting is much more forgiving to the operator. When I had the bottom stripped on 2 of my boats, I clearly chose soda blasting. My father said he would definately go with soda in the future.

While sand blasting can work just as well with a good operator, soda blasting is much more forgiving. If you chose to sand blast over soda blast, make sure it is someone good. :wink:

a void is not gonna be created by holding the nozzle in one area for a long time,sorry but that's a fact...voids are present from the factory,it's where the gel cote and the fiberglass matting didn't meet...it's pretty difficult to remove gel coat with sand blasting,did you know that ??? do you have any experience with sand blasting ??? the baking soda is a softer media,it takes much more time to blast a boat with baking soda versus "00" blasting sand,however,both forms of blasting media will blow out voids,or osmotic blisters,and trust me,holding the nozzle in one area too long will not create a void... :wink: :wink:

 

[Capt. Jim]

What is the consensus on painting the trim tabs? Mine are currently unpainted and I just replaced the anodes. For those with boats at Tri-State, what is their practice?

 

[atlanticbeach]

Jimmy,

How are you doing? This is Bob from NC that visited you last year to pick up a pair of DF140 Suzuki engines. You have it right on the soda blast. I know you have your detractors over at THT that say don't do it, but the key here is to get the guy that knows what he is doing.

I removed the 10 years of bottom paint from my 18Parker last year with Peel Away and then proceeded to have my son and I wet sand the hull and it turned out great. You are right about the mils of gelcoat that Parker uses on the hulls. It will take some abuse. Once the hull is relatively free of the paint, then comes the fun of sanding and buffing but it can be done as Jimmy says with soda if you don't want to do the Peel Away yourself.

Here are the pictures of my hull after the Peel Away and wet sanding and buffing.

 

[Anonymous]

Jimmy,

How are you doing? This is Bob from NC that visited you last year to pick up a pair of DF140 Suzuki engines. You have it right on the soda blast. I know you have your detractors over at THT that say don't do it, but the key here is to get the guy that knows what he is doing.

I removed the 10 years of bottom paint from my 18Parker last year with Peel Away and then proceeded to have my son and I wet sand the hull and it turned out great. You are right about the mils of gelcoat that Parker uses on the hulls. It will take some abuse. Once the hull is relatively free of the paint, then comes the fun of sanding and buffing but it can be done as Jimmy says with soda if you don't want to do the Peel Away yourself.

Here are the pictures of my hull after the Peel Away and wet sanding and buffing.

hey bob !!!

that's a dirty job,but it's worth it huh ??? lookin' real good !!! :wink:

 

[jdbic]

atlanticbeach, Nice pics!
How much peel away did you have to use? How much did it cost? How long did it take?

 

[grouperjim]

All I'll say is I did a lot of sandblasting in my younger days. A LOT. Sandblasting is not "sailor-proof" and requires great care not to remove too much material. There are considerations such as air pressure, nozzle angle, and silica grit size. You can easily get into trouble if not careful or inexperienced.

I ate a lower panel off a Datsun 240Z once. Wasn't pretty. That was in the early days, and is an experience I wanted to share.

Don't need any negative comments to the contrary. Thanks.

jim

 

[jdbic]

I read some where else that a few people have used easy off oven cleaner? Does this really work? Has any body here tried it?

 

[96TL]

I read some where else that a few people have used easy off oven cleaner? Does this really work? Has any body here tried it?

I'm not sure about bottom paint, but I know it takes anodizing right off. 8)