She's finally home!! Rickk's 230

[pete]

Sanding is no different than blasting,you are using an abrasive media either way.Try the least abrasive method first and go more abrasive as needed.Maybe consider trying to remve the paint in the visable areas and let the paint on the bottom wear off over time,maybe bring some wet/dry sandpaper with you when you go out this summer,pull up on a sand bar and   sand it under water.Either way if you want shiny gellcoat it will have to be compounded out,good luck    

[RickK]

Sanding is no different than blasting,you are using an abrasive media either way.Try the least abrasive method first and go more abrasive as needed.Maybe consider trying to remve the paint in the visable areas and let the paint on the bottom wear off over time,maybe bring some wet/dry sandpaper with you when you go out this summer,pull up on a sand bar and   sand it under water.Either way if you want shiny gellcoat it will have to be compounded out,good luck    

Thanks Pete, if I beach the boat a bunch it would be like sanding....

[John Jones]

Whatever is on the bottom of mine doesn't wear off.  It's like granite.

Rick,
The areas where the peel away took off all the paint it took very little effort with a random orbit to get the stain off.  Yes, it's dull after that but it's also ready for whatever you intend to re-coat with.  I personally am not attempting to buff the bottom back out to a shine.  Mine is too rough anyway.  I had to repair several gouges up front where the idiot previous owner jury rigged the trailer rollers and if the boat didn't hit straight the roller brackets hit the hull.  I'm thinking an epoxy barrier coat and a good two part paint will do me just fine, especially since it's a trailered boat.

[RickK]

Whatever is on the bottom of mine doesn't wear off.  It's like granite.

When you p-washed the bottom, the area that you didn't peel-away, did it wash any blue off onto the trailer frame?  Mine did.  Maybe you have "granite" finish type

Rick,
The areas where the peel away took off all the paint it took very little effort with a random orbit to get the stain off.  Yes, it's dull after that but it's also ready for whatever you intend to re-coat with.  I personally am not attempting to buff the bottom back out to a shine.  Mine is too rough anyway.  I had to repair several gouges up front where the idiot previous owner jury rigged the trailer rollers and if the boat didn't hit straight the roller brackets hit the hull.  I'm thinking an epoxy barrier coat and a good two part paint will do me just fine, especially since it's a trailered boat.

That's good info.
As I mentioned earlier, it'd be nice to go straight gelcoat but at what price?  If I could get it looking decent, maybe sandblast and then sand and then spray a clear "something" on the bottom that would make it slick again, that would be acceptable.  I don't want to intentionally add more drag with a rough bottom if I can help it.  If I have to compound....
So, do they make that "something"?  Like a clear epoxy barrier coat that doesn't need a top-coat?  I really don't want to go paint again - look at all the fun we're having with paint :cry:
Oh, I got the number of a soda blaster down in Englewood from my canvas guy today.  I called and left a message - hopefully he'll call back this week.  Otherwise, it's sandblast time.

[John Jones]

No, p-washing doesn't do anything to mine.  You probably have the ablative type paint that is designed to wear off.

The black bottom paint that is on my flats boat is ablative.  If you run a soapy rag over it, it put's black on the rag.  If I wax it, I have to tape off the black or else the black smears into white with the wax.  

Did I ever mention that I HATE BOTTOM PAINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JimCt]

Rick, have you tried the car compound?

[John Jones]

Any car compound I have ever used stains the gelcoat a nice peach color.  3M makes a good WHITE fiberglass compound.

[RickK]

Rick, have you tried the car compound?

I originally purchased this wax http://www.aqua-buff.com/ to bring back the hull and top sides. After I bought the wax and it arrived, I went to my trusty Harbor Freight to buy a buffer to use with this stuff and met this young fella there while waiting in line (could swear I told this story already here) and he started commenting on how good that buffer worked - come to find out that he did boat detailing and he told me that the easiest stuff he'd found to use was at Marine Surplus - the only stuff they have - wax and compound in one - that I should not waste my time on anything else and to go buy it. I did, used it instead of what I bought, and that stuff worked great - Yachtex is the brand, supposedly made right here on a little island in the mouth of Tampa bay - or at least that is where the address is.  I can't find it searching the web - maybe someone else can.
Anyway, long story short, I never used the original stuff I bought and as you can see, it has 2 "grades" (1000 and 2000 grit) which I bought both, and this might be a good use for it, to bring back the bottom.

[RickK]

No, p-washing doesn't do anything to mine.  You probably have the ablative type paint that is designed to wear off.

The black bottom paint that is on my flats boat is ablative.  If you run a soapy rag over it, it put's black on the rag.  If I wax it, I have to tape off the black or else the black smears into white with the wax.  

Did I ever mention that I HATE BOTTOM PAINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wasn't the flats boat on a trailer when you bought it?  Guess they left it in the water alot to warrant bottom paint - what a shame.
The bottom paint on my 170 is easy since it's house paint, kinda like ablative, especially on the keel. This marine bottom paint is a pain but I guess it does what it is supposed to.

[RickK]

I called the soda blaster guy again today after he was recommended by a marina and got ahold of him (must be nice to be too busy to return calls ) and yakked with him for a few.
1) He said that the finish would need sanding when done if I wanted to restore it to gelcoat - seems "gelcoat is never the same thickness everywhere and I'll probably eat through it in some places and then you'll need that to be repaired, which will probably not match"
2) his suggestion is to let him blast it off and arrange someone to shoot new gelcoat on  
3) I mentioned that soda is supposed to be softer than gelcoat but harder than paint, so why the harsh results? He said that if the boat was a new boat that the owner wanted to bring back to gelcoat he might be able to turn the pressure down to about 40 lbs and do this - I think I was just prejudged "Not on your old boat" :(
4) seemed the guy just wanted to get in and out and "you'll probably want to repaint"
Anyway, $100 to get the boat taken off the trailer and put on stands at a marina buddy of his, Length X Length for a price, $100 for EPA to haul away the old paint (pesticides in it) and $100 for visqueening off the area around boat.
I will compare this to what the sand blast guy quotes on Monday.

He did mention that his recommendation was to put "Hard" bottom paint back on if the boat will kept be on a trailer - "comes in just about any color you want".
If I do have to go back to paint  :cry: , any thoughts on this "Hard" paint?  Who makes it? Is it shiny?  I know it can't be the stuff Wart was showing, because that isn't really bottom paint.
Anyone know how much it costs to shoot new gelcoat?

[John Jones]

There is a type of bottom paint that is designed for boats on trailers.  I know of no anti-fouling paint that is shiny.  He is suggesting bottom paint so it's dullness will hide all the gouges he makes in the hull.  I don't even want to guess how much it would cost to hire the gelcoat redone.     The bottom will have to have a lot of prep to get a good looking gelcoat re-done.

BTW, if any of the people you talk to are named Chris or Ron, run like hell.

[RickK]

No Ron or Chris - whew!!
I think I'm gonna end up with paint on the bottom whether I really want it or not.  It's not worth the fortune it'll cost to do it.

[John Jones]

Now that you have read it, I'm deleting the post.  I don't need to get sued.  I should have used PM.

[John Jones]

hmmm, that post did not have the X.  I had to edit.

[RickK]

hmmm, that post did not have the X.  I had to edit.

I'm starting to think the "X"s have a time limit and then disappear.  I can scroll back through this whole thread and none of mine have an X on them anymore