Hull bottom progress

[Chesty]

I have done the better part of stripping the really gross paint off the the hull of my continually improving 1968 Sunfish. Because it was on very thick, it has been taking a combination of stripper and sanding to get down to real surface. I have a concern that I can see a faint green layer along parts of the hull bottom.
I am assuming that on a boat this old that there is a good chance that the gel coat is non-existent. I had some hope that I would be able to get away with wet sanding at 600 or 800 grit but it seems unlikely. When I finish touching up some scratches and gouges with Marinetex, I plan to paint with a two stage epoxy. The boat stayed dry all season, so I am assuming that if the rotten paint was the only thing keeping water out, I was pretty close to doomed anyway. Does anyone know what the green layer is? It is faintly visible through the white surface. Thanks

Dave G.

 

[supercub]

Dave,
Many resins impart a green tint to the fiberglass layup under the gelcoat. Try not to let anymore green show than absolutely necessary. Stop sanding when you start to see green, you have/are going to far. If any fibers start showing (a leak will develope), you will need to recoat the area with resin (epoxy prefered). The gelcoat is pretty thin and is sprayed into the mold before the fiberglass is layed up to form the hull. Once you get the paint off, give your SF a leak test and see if you have to make any repairs to the hull (seams, cracks, etc) before you do any painting. For a smoother "painted" surface, let the paint dry for a couple of weeks before you rub/polish it out. Some of the other members may have a better solution for your bare hull. You may want to try your SF out with out painting it first (to see if it leaks at all) if you do not mind the multi color (just a thought). The paint would then give the hull a nice new look and provide extra protection as well. Good Luck.

 

[Chesty]

Thanks a lot for clearing that up. I have a tendency to go too hard with sandpaper but I have been a cautious as possible. I think the idea of leaving it unpainted and seeing about leakage first is a good one. As bad as it looked with the paint I stripped, a little muticolor isn't a problem. It's been dry so far and I have seen anything under the paint that is alarming.

Dave G.