Removing bottom paint?

B

btsunfish

New Member
Hi all,
My Fish has a really bad coat of thick, flaky bottom paint, possibly anti-fouling, but I'm not sure. I've been trying to get it down to gelcoat to restore it, but the paint is putting up one hell of a fight.
Here's what I've tried using so far to scrape it off.
-Sharpened popsicle stick
-pocketknife
-glass scraper
-Plexiglas knife (I think, it's a weird tool with the blade at about a 45 degree angle to the handle.)
-palm sander with 60 grit sandpaper.
The popsicle stick failed miserably, the blades managed to get a bunch of the paint off. However, about 60 percent of the paint is stubbornly refusing my best efforts to scrape it off. The sander clogged up so fast that it made my head spin.
Here's what I've been considering:
-pressure washer
-some sort of paint stripper (know of any good ones?)
-rougher sandpaper
-oven cleaner (saw this online, will it work?)
-one of those neato paint remover wheels that you put in a drill
-a bigger/different type of sander
-trying to gelcoat over the paint after sanding off what I can
Leaving the boat alone is not an option, as it looks awful and the gelcoat is in desperate need of refurbishing.
Where should I go from here?
THANKS,
BRIAN
 
Consider using a paint and varnish remover like Strypeez (sp?). Try a small patch and see if it works. It should not harm the gelcoat under the paint. Keep in mind that paint remover works best in a warm environment as cold air retards the chemical reaction. Wear gloves and eye protection as this is somewhat nasty stuff, but it may work wonders for your project.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
I'm 100% with Al, paint stripper is the way to go for your job.

I use to detest stripper for its unfriendlyness, but lately I've used Ready Strip on smaller jobs and am growing to like it.

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Back to Nature Ready Strip Marine can remove most varieties of marine paints & varnishes including anti-fouling, polyurethanes, enamels, teak oils, non-skid deck, latex paint, etc., in one application. Ready Strip is designed to remove up to 5 layers of marine anti-fouling paint in one application. It can be applied on a multitude of bottom and topside surfaces including fiberglass, wood (it will not discolor the wood or raise the grain), aluminum, etc. Will not damage gel coat, wood grain, or any surface. Ready Strip conveniently changes color to signal when paint is ready to be removed. ​
 
continued - -

I'm not sure I agree totally with all the ad claims. I think you'll end up making a couple of passes with the stripper.

-trying to gelcoat over the paint after sanding off what I can
Click to expand...
Not an option - gelcoat is cosmetic polyester resin (the same stuff the structural hull is built with) It won't stick to residual paint.
 
If you can get it, International Paint has a product called Pintoff, they have a formulation for use on fiberglass and it works well for removing anti-fouling. Like any stripper it is messy.
 
I've actually been using the 3M paint remover wheel. It works ruthlessly fast, but you really have to watch it or you can really mess up the gelcoat (which i was going to re-do anyways). I just need to find a way to get the paint out of some of the deep scratches, which were there to begin with.
 
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