Stripping paint

W

what66

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 29, 2004
Messages
244
HI I just got me a used boat but the guy that had it before me painted the top with latxe paint and now it's peeling off what I want to know is whats the best way to strip off the old paint without damaging the gell coat?
 
Boomyal

Boomyal

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Aug 16, 2003
Messages
12,072
Re: Stripping paint

Maybe it is already damaged. That is why he painted it?<br /><br />I would try using a heat gun to soften the latex and hopefully peel it off. Most chemical cleaners, I've seen, will damage the gel coat. Most removers state not for use on fiberglass. I used some to remove black paint in my bilge. I did not care about the fiberglass finish underneath, as I was going to reglass it. It did in fact soften the surface of the resin.
 
A

agrazela

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Nov 12, 2003
Messages
122
Re: Stripping paint

What66,<br /><br />Try rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol, liberally applied, to strip the latex paint. If that's not enough, you can use stright acetone, but make sure you rinse that off pretty quickly.<br /><br />Do NOT let anything containing toluene or xylene sit on fiberglass for more than a few seconds, or they will weaken the material. Most strippers will have one or more of these solvents, unless they are specifically made for use on fiberglass.
 
B

BoatBuoy

Rear Admiral
Joined
May 29, 2004
Messages
4,856
Re: Stripping paint

I used to have a recipe for paint stripper which contained neither petrol. or petrol. distillates. I don't remember the proportions, but the ingredients were water, lye, and corn starch as a thickener. Dangerous stuff to skin, but worked well on paint. I suspect the lye might not react with f/g but test to be sure. Washes off with water.
 
R

Ralph 123

Captain
Joined
Jun 24, 2003
Messages
3,983
Re: Stripping paint

If you go to Home Depot you'll find fiberglass safe paint stripper. Be careful if you use one that does not say that - leaving the regular ones on too long can damage the gelcoat as Boomyal said. You can also find fiberglass safe strippers at your local marina, here on iBaots or West Marne.
 
1

18rabbit

Captain
Joined
Nov 14, 2003
Messages
3,202
Re: Stripping paint

If the latex is peeling it may indicate the shine was not removed from the gel coat before being applied. You may be able to remove the latex with a pressure washer.
 
R

Ralph 123

Captain
Joined
Jun 24, 2003
Messages
3,983
Re: Stripping paint

Good point Rabbit. I'd definitely try the pressure washer first too. At the very least it gets the easy stuff off first. Depending on circumstances if you try chemical stripper you can remove the paint and stripper with the pressure washer. That is how I did my floor and it worked great (although somewhat messy)...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top