Bottom Paint Removal?

[!Steve]

Hello,
I have a 2000 Bayliner Capri. I bought it last year. The previous owner put black bottom paint on it and I think it looks terrible. It's wearing off and the black looks awful on the white hull.

Is there a product to remove it?

Or am I better off to re-paint it (it's a fresh water only boat). I was warned that if you paint over bottom paint with a different type than the existing paint you can cause electrolysis and damage the boat. Is that true?

Thanks,
Steve.

[Home Cookin']

This has been discussed a lot.
I assume you want to paint (or remove) for cosmetic reasons, and not to protect the bottom from marine growth--yours will stay on the trailer?

The advice ranges from:
1.Why bother? it's the bottom of the boat and only the fish see it.
2,. paint over it; it will look better and be less cost/risk than removing.
(I think electrolysis would only be a problem if you used another type of bottom paint; you want plain old paint. Also, electrolysis is only a problem when the boat is left in the water.)
3. Remove it and you will take off your top layer/protective layer of gel coat, and do more harm than good. Leave it or paint it.
4. remove it correctly and wax; it will look great. But removing it correctly requires an expensive and time consuming process, not to be done in the driveway due to toxins.

[!Steve]

Thanks for the reply. Just to clarify a couple things:
-The boat stays in the lake for a few months (June - Sept). We also live very near the ocean, so it may go in the salt for a day trip here or there (it has not yet, but it might).
-Part of the reason I want the black paint gone is cosmetic, but it is also in bad condition. It is wearing off, if you rub it with your hand you will get paint residue on your hand. Just the water runnign over it is removing it in places.
I'm not really concerned about replacing it with new anti fouling paint or anything, so are you saying I could safely paint over it? I guess a light sanding and new paint?
I will try and look this up in previous forums since it has been discussed already, but if you can point me to any previous ones...
Thanks again!
Steve.

[brielly]

Sounds like you have ablative paint. The only paint that wil stick to it is more ablative paint otherwise you need to remove all paint then possibly add a barrier coat. If your boat stays in the water you should reapply more ablative paint so you dont get fouling. You can power wash/scrape until the base is solid and then paint over it. That would be the easiest. Otherwsie removing it all means using nasty chemicals or paying out big bucks to have it soda blasted.

[xmchughx95]

i heard that you can remove the bottom paint with a pressure washer without damaging the gel coat. is that true? i have a 21 ft wellcraft with the same problem. the bottom paint. im in the prosess of restoring it and looking for a safe easy way to remove it.

[Home Cookin']

no

the best device for removing bottom paint is a check book

[Bob_VT]

i heard that you can remove the bottom paint with a pressure washer without damaging the gel coat. is that true? i have a 21 ft wellcraft with the same problem. the bottom paint. im in the prosess of restoring it and looking for a safe easy way to remove it.

Welcome to iboats.

Please feel free to start a new thread instead of tacking on to one that is 6 months old. Yes you can try a pressure washer or even have it soda blasted. Is your bottom paint a result of salt water storage? It really depends on what is on the boat.

[cr2k]

Any shallow sandbars in your area? Just a thought.

[captain zac]

I would check on someone in your area that can soda blast
You can soda blast a beer can and only remove the paint and not damage the can

Harry