Soda blasting bottom paint?

[BigDog98]

Has anyone ever used the harbor freight 40# soda blaster? I am looking to invest into one for 140 bucks and use it to remove all the old paint from my boat. I go quoted 35 dollars a foot by a professional to do it and just not willing to spend over a thousand just for that. Some inputs or other people who have tried it before would be great. Or is there any other alternative to removing all the paint. I tried it with paint remover and it is a pain. Thank You

 

[tpenfield]

I used Peel-away on my F-242 . . . . it took 2 weeks of soaking and scraping. I assume that you will used a fair amount of material for the blasting along with some safety gear. Not sure how much the total will run you, but $1,000 to have it done does sound steep.

 

[BigDog98]

I used Peel-away on my F-242 . . . . it took 2 weeks of soaking and scraping. I assume that you will used a fair amount of material for the blasting along with some safety gear. Not sure how much the total will run you, but $1,000 to have it done does sound steep.

I purchased total boat paint stripper today at 60 degree temp and let it soak and sit for about an hour or 2. It only took off one layer at a time and was really tough to scrape. The problem is that i am located 2 hours away from the boat and i don't want to stretch it out for 2 weeks of work. Figured a soda blaster will get it off in one day.

 

[jbcurt00]

That $140 HF blaster isnt likely to do the job as quick or nearly as well as the $35/ft guy will.

Unless the bottom paint is peeling, flaking or otherwise failing, I wouldnt expect it'll be a 1 day job. Probably not even a 1 weekend job. And I cant imagine how much soda it'll take.

Big boat, requires lots of B.O.A.T. units. Get another estimate, maybe the next one will only be 2/3rd to 3/4s of a B.O.A.T. unit ~ $650-750...

 

[BigDog98]

That $140 HF blaster isnt likely to do the job as quick or nearly as well as the $35/ft guy will.

Unless the bottom paint is peeling, flaking or otherwise failing, I wouldnt expect it'll be a 1 day job. Probably not even a 1 weekend job. And I cant imagine how much soda it'll take.

Big boat, requires lots of B.O.A.T. units. Get another estimate, maybe the next one will only be 2/3rd to 3/4s of a B.O.A.T. unit ~ $650-750...

Well luckily it is flaking and falling off, it is so old that it started peeling off on its own, some spots are more tough and other are not , some have thin layer some have thick.

 

[jbcurt00]

Might get lucky then

 

[Chris1956]

You will need lots of soda, and a large capacity air compressor. I tried a sand blaster, soda and a pretty large compressor, but did not have enough volume of high-pressure air.

What about a 36 grit grinder? The paint would need to be hard to be ground off, but I did my 18 footer like that, is a couple of hours. Removed 10 years of AF paint.

 

[shrew]

I would have it done professionally. I had a good experience when I had mine soda-blasted professionally. That was 8 years ago.

 

[BigDog98]

I would have it done professionally. I had a good experience when I had mine soda-blasted professionally. That was 8 years ago.

The cheapest quote i got was 1300 and the highest was 1600. I am already 30g into my boat this season alone. I think ill pass. lol

 

[BigDog98]

You will need lots of soda, and a large capacity air compressor. I tried a sand blaster, soda and a pretty large compressor, but did not have enough volume of high-pressure air.

What about a 36 grit grinder? The paint would need to be hard to be ground off, but I did my 18 footer like that, is a couple of hours. Removed 10 years of AF paint.

That would cause way too much dust , the boat is at a marina around other boats. Also the boat does not have a barrier coat on and i dont want to risk grinding into the gelcoat or even worse the fiber glass.

 

[Thalasso]

Go to Home Depot and get yourself a product called Auqua Strip. Apply it with a roller and use a putty knife to scrape off. Cheaper, less mess and cleanup. That soda will kill your grass and plants if it gets on it
What are you going to do with that $100.00 blaster after your done with it.

 

[robert graham]

How about a good belt sander?.....Also, walnut hulls as a blast media can be re-used multiple times.....still think you'll need a larger compressor with a larger tank...

 

[BigDog98]

Go to Home Depot and get yourself a product called Auqua Strip. Apply it with a roller and use a putty knife to scrape off. Cheaper, less mess and cleanup. That soda will kill your grass and plants if it gets on it
What are you going to do with that $100.00 blaster after your done with it.

I looked into chemical removers and to my conclusion there is no point because at the time that I am doing this it won't be warm enough to work effectively. I spoke to a fiberglass specialist and he said to make sure not to use any chemical that's does not say it's for fiberglass use. Was thinking about using the aircraft stripper for fiberglass but it won't won't work that well. I might use a grinder with 60 grit or 36 grit to get the thick layers off faster. The remaining paint I'll just sand off with 80grit by hand or orbital sander till I get a clean white gel coat finish and then acetone everything clean and apply a barrier coat and anti fouling paint. Does this sound like a good plan ?

 

[BigDog98]

How about a good belt sander?.....Also, walnut hulls as a blast media can be re-used multiple times.....still think you'll need a larger compressor with a larger tank...

I looked into all types of media blasting. And I need s diesel generator which I don't have and is expensive to rent. I think I'll try the grinder and sander method.

 

[tpenfield]

A couple of points . . .

Keep in mind that the dust from the paint is heavy metal toxic. So a high quality dust mask is needed.

Sanding with heavy grit is likely to dig into the gelcoat and cause additional problems.

You are dealing with a time versus money situation less time will cost more money.

Is the bottom paint really that bad or are you becoming obsessed with removing it? . . . considering that you need to re-paint before launching anyway/

 

[shrew]

Break Out Another Thousand. There is no such thing as either an Inexpensive or Easy solution in boating. In fact, there is an inverse relationship. The easier the solution is typically the more expensive one. Whether you sand or blast, you're going to be required to tarp the area to prevent debrie from migrating away from the workspace and pickup everything anyway.

also, if this is in a marina, you may want to check what their policies are on sanding, as well as state regulations.

 

[BigDog98]

Break Out Another Thousand. There is no such thing as either an Inexpensive or Easy solution in boating. In fact, there is an inverse relationship. The easier the solution is typically the more expensive one. Whether you sand or blast, you're going to be required to tarp the area to prevent debrie from migrating away from the workspace and pickup everything anyway.

also, if this is in a marina, you may want to check what their policies are on sanding, as well as state regulations.

The marina allows sanding and painting , i ran into a bit of a problem with the owner when i started using chemical stripper due to miss communication but he said if i tarp up the ground well the it isn't a problem.

 

[Cdubb2010]

The cheapest quote i got was 1300 and the highest was 1600. I am already 30g into my boat this season alone. I think ill pass. lol

I understand your thinking BigDog, dont fault it a bit, but if you have already sank 30g's whats another $1400 or so? If I was the money man in this situation I would pay a pro to get it done right the first time, no doubt in my mind, but thats my 2 cents. Sounds like with what you have already invested you have done it by the book and not cut corners, why start now? Find someone reputable and insured and turn 'em loose my man.

 

[Grub54891]

If you sand it, and the bottom paint gets on someone else's deck, and a heavy dew, or rain comes up, it'll stick pretty darn good to their boat. At our marina, YOU are responsible for any damage and clean up to their boats. It can get expensive rather quickly. When we do a boat, we make sure it's contained properly, and cleaned up and disposed of properly. 1000 bucks is not to bad of a price for peace of mind.

 

[BigDog98]

I understand your thinking BigDog, dont fault it a bit, but if you have already sank 30g's whats another $1400 or so? If I was the money man in this situation I would pay a pro to get it done right the first time, no doubt in my mind, but thats my 2 cents. Sounds like with what you have already invested you have done it by the book and not cut corners, why start now? Find someone reputable and insured and turn 'em loose my man.

I have had main electrical and engine work done by a pro but something so simple like removing paint and painting i feel is crazy to charge that kind of money for Plus professionals around here like to play games and fool people. I believe the best type of work is the work you do yourself for yourself. I am not afraid of some hard labor but as long as it gets done right and good. I just cannot afford to sink in anymore money this year. Just had my taxes done and i still need to pay state taxes on the boat. All that will add up and before you know it ill be living in the boat. As far as game plan goes , i think that i will stick to some chemical stripper , see where that leads me and if its still a pain and really slow then i will use a grinder with some 36 grit paper and grind off mos of the paint and the rest ill do with an orbital sander and 80 grit.