Removing Anti-Fouling Coat

Submitted by Tom Stone on Fri, 01/28/2011 - 23:22
My Scot, #4961, has a nice anti-fouling coat that as applied by a previous owner who kept in a wet slip. As the new owner, I will always be storing it in the yard or in a dry slip at the lake, so I see no sense in leaving the coating on the hull. Seems like I have 3 options: 1. Remove the coating by wet sanding with 400 emory cloth, 2. Remove it using something like - Pettit BioBlast stripper - or 3. Leave it on the boat and race it with the coating on it. Anyone ever remove an anti-fouling coating from your FS? Was it worth it? If so, I would appreciate any advice as to the best way to remove it.
‹ Blisters on the bottom of my Scot? Floatation Foam ›

Comments

See my post of Oct 05, 2010 re stripping anti-fouling paint.

Submitted by gleninst on Sat, 01/29/2011 - 09:45.
See my post of Oct 05, 2010 re stripping anti-fouling paint. Petit Bioblast worked very well in my case.

It is a lot of work, also since the boat appears as a salt water

Submitted by MrDave on Sat, 01/29/2011 - 10:04.
It is a lot of work, also since the boat appears as a salt water boat some of your fitting are also probably pitted. COnsider reselling it to some one who is going to use it in Salt or brackish water. Find another similar boat that is a fresh water boat or has been stored out of the water. Will bottom paint affect your performance, yes somewhat about the same as older sails. However I feel that being a better sailor will overcome bottom paint and older sails. Petit and other chemical strippers work, I think they are expensive and using 400 grit will take a very log time. You can start with 80, then 220, then 320 followed by 400. If you go through the gelcoat you will then want to re-coat the bottom with something else as a water barrier or to make it look cosmetically attractive. It comes down to time, cost and opportunity to do it.

gleninst and MrDave, Thanks for the advice.

Submitted by Tom Stone on Sat, 01/29/2011 - 10:48.
gleninst and MrDave, Thanks for the advice. MrDave, you mentioned: "since the boat appears as a salt water boat" as far as I know it has always been sailed at Lake Nochamixon, PA, unless you have information I am not aware of. Just had $1,500+ worth of work done on it at the FS Maryland facility so it is a "keeper". Thanks both for the info, gives me more to think over before deciding to tackle the job or not.

Tom: My boat had bottom paint on it when I got it.

Submitted by sawyerspadre on Sat, 01/29/2011 - 19:45.
Tom: My boat had bottom paint on it when I got it. It was left in salt water at the shore on a regular basis. I took the bottom paint off my boat with acetone and a big box of shop towels. Roll the boat on it's side. Outside, on a day with a little breeze. Sun not shining directly on boat, or you. Wear good gloves, and stand upwind if you can. No smoking or heat, sparks. Acetone is extremely flammable. I did one half, then rolled the boat to the other side and did the other half. Take your time. It takes a few hours to remove, and it will also take most of your waterline stripe off. Mine was worn, and I repainted the stripe after I was done. The boat seemed faster, at least psychologically. I went back a year later and sanded with 600, 800 and 1000 sandpaper. My boat had been prepped for the bottom paint by scuffing it up. The sanding took that back out. I then compounded and waxed to protect it. Some will debate if wax is fast... At the 2008 Tom's River NAC, I saw Katie Terhune under the boat with Star Brite PTFE. Didn't seem to slow them down, since that boat (and team) has won the last three NAC's. If you want to see my boat or need advice, I would be glad to help. I think you are right, that your boat lived at Nockamixon all it's life, but was kept in the marina. Phil Scheetz FS 4086

Phil Scheetz

FS 4086

Fleet 163, Nockamixon Sail Club

You may also want to see if there is a barrier coat between the

Submitted by ScotFree on Sun, 01/30/2011 - 23:24.
You may also want to see if there is a barrier coat between the paint and the gelcoat. While the paint will come off rather easily, mine had the barrier coat which made the job much more time consuming. Air temp played a HUGE part in the ease of removal. Outside temp of 75+ is better. FS2450

Phil and ScotFree, Thanks much for the input.

Submitted by Tom Stone on Mon, 01/31/2011 - 12:59.
Phil and ScotFree, Thanks much for the input. After hearing from you and others concerning the correct use of solvents vs. sanding, I believe I will go with the slower, manual sanding method and take my time doing it. Managed to wade through 36" of snow (Ya gotta love it to live here) for a look under the tarp and can see that there is about three inches of what looks like a blue colored bottom coat extending above the line where the anti-fouling coating starts. So I guess the idea (ideally) will be to sand down to the blue paint coating, and maybe apply a coat of wax on that surface. I really appreciate the input from fellow FS owners and others. April will be here before we know it! Tom

I, too, am in the process of

Submitted by liquidpet on Thu, 10/13/2011 - 14:57.

I, too, am in the process of taking off layers of old anti-fouling paint, but i am dry sanding with an orbital sander.  This seems to be doing the job, but would love some advice or opinions as to what to do next.  Since the boat will be dry sailed, i see no reason why i need to prime and/or paint and would rather not go through the trouble.  My problem is that i have never restored a boat before (just purchased this FS last August) and am learning as i go.

I am down to what seems to be the last layer of paint (red!)  with some gelcoat spots showing here and there. 

Do i keep dry sanding (careful to take the remaining paint off), wet sand, apply acetone (as one person suggested above), chemical strip or do i stop now, make any necessary repairs and use a primer like Interlux Interprotect 2000E and top off with the VC Perforamance Epoxy?  Like i said, i would rather not paint, but I am worried about ruining the gel coat if i continue sanding.

Any comments appriciated!

Thanks!