Bottom Paint Removal ???????

[sinfuse]

I just bought a 210 baja sport w/ a 350 merc. . For some crazy reason the original owner painted the bottom, he said he thought it was common practice???? I want to strip the paint and restore the original look of the boat.. Im sure my top end speed will increase as well... What type of stripper should i use that will not hurt the fiberglass? Their are 2 coats of paint.. I hopefully can strip and remove the paint then just compound the bottom and put on a nice coat of wax... Is this all i have to do or is this going to be more difficult than i think??

 

[93bronco]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal ???????

the 1802 trophy i bought was the same way. i just used the same i took off for money reasons.<br />anyway i used the west marine stripper and a power washer. it worked great no damage to surrounding gel coat.<br />dont know if you will be able to just compound it. it had to be sanded with 80-100 grit to put on bottom paint. it most likely will have to be resealed and painted again with what ever paint you decide.

 

[MFG197]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal ???????

did they keep the boat in the water? if so that's why.

 

[Mikedg]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal ???????

It will be a little more difficult than you think. Apply stripper and carefully strip paint with a putty knife with rounded corners. This may take a few applications. Check with your local marine store for a stripper specifically made to remove bottom paint. Some brands are in a gel form so it will stay on the sides and bottom of the hull while working.<br /><br />The biggest problem you will face will be the fact that the bottom was probably sanded with 80 or 100 grit paper to open up the gelcoat to provide for a mechanical bond. Once sanded and painted I would not recommend trying to compound out the scratches. The gelcoat will be porous and at risk of water penetration and blistering.<br /><br />If speed is what you're after, look into repainting the bottom with hard paints such as the VC 17 line from Interlux, designed for performance and offshore boats.

 

[flashback]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal ???????

have to go with WWYC on this one. if the boat is kept in the water during the season then it should have some kind of anti fouling paint on the bottom...also have to go with Mikedg on the sanding issue. although if the boat was new when the bottom paint was put on, then they may have used a special no-sand primer to keep from voiding the manufactures warranty on the bottom.

 

[magster65]

Re: Bottom Paint Removal ???????

I have to strip mine as well, what would be the recommendation for stripping off many coats of anti-fouling... same? What is the best brand of stripper? This is an ugly job and I'd like to make it as easy as possible.