Removing bottom paint and saving my marriage

[ratsea]

I have removed ten years of antifouling paint with some scraping with a chisel but then caustic soda crystals mixed with wallpaper paste and painted on thickly. Cover in industrial cling film and leave overnight. It cleaned up with a karcher pressure washer the following day. Caution: add NaOH to water, then the wallpaper paste. I would mix a half gallon at a time. Wear eye protection and good gloves too. Good luck
Richard

[Stewie12]

A photo of the crack would be a good idea to show its location, as depending on where it is, you may have to drill holes lower down to drain it.

[lifeofreilly57]

Originally Posted by foojin

We hauled our Tayana 37 for a quick in and out insurance survey. We had to renew and the insurance company insisted on a haulout.

While out, I noticed there was some sort of crack in the fibreglass under the bottom paint, just behind the prop. When I pressed it with my finger, water spurted out. A crack about a metre long showed itself in the bottom paint. Scary.

Not sure I understand how our boat is constructed, but the layer of fiberglass that flexes below the crack seems to be only about 5mm or 1/4" thick, but perhaps it's an illusion created by how easy it was to press it in.

The surveyor is a sweet guy. He did not notice the crack but did recommend the replacement of a prop anode. Luckily we had one ready.

Anyway, we went back in and began preparing to repair the hull. Plan is to remove the bottom paint, assess the situation, drain, dry and glass over the crack.

I want to do it as soon as possible.

It's complicated, but my loving wife has rented a cottage out east where we will have a family reunion of sorts and she wants me there, not here mucking about on the boat. To hell with my happiness.

So time is short. Plan is to remove the bottom paint, and while out east let the hull drain and dry, even if that means drilling holes into the fibreglass to drain.

A local sandblasting company says it can be done in two days, they quoted $7,500. I passed. Even if it took me a week to scrape the bottom, I've never earned $1,000 a day.

But I need a quick way to remove bottom paint. I'm not afraid of work. Online, I've found some people use chemical softeners followed by a vacuum scraper. Has anyone cleaned their bottom this way?

Any suggestions, chemicals, scrapers or other solutions, would be much appreciated.

My marriage depends on it.

The last time I did a chemical peel was on a 38 foot boat, it took about two weeks of long days.
I found that the chemical srtripper would dry out before I could get to it when I was trying to do large areas. My solution was to use wax paper, I would coat a fairly large area then cover the stripper with wax paper. This would keep the stripper moist and allow it to work longer. That proved to be the key.
A big factor is how many layers of bottom paint are there? Mine had several, some of which were hard paint from the previous owner, which was especially difficult to remove, ablative paint are much easier.
Paste type chemical strippers work best, just make sure it's ok to use with gelcoat.

[spaincaptain]

Originally Posted by foojin

We hauled our Tayana 37 for a quick in and out insurance survey. We had to renew and the insurance company insisted on a haulout.

While out, I noticed there was some sort of crack in the fibreglass under the bottom paint, just behind the prop. When I pressed it with my finger, water spurted out. A crack about a metre long showed itself in the bottom paint. Scary.

Not sure I understand how our boat is constructed, but the layer of fiberglass that flexes below the crack seems to be only about 5mm or 1/4" thick, but perhaps it's an illusion created by how easy it was to press it in.

The surveyor is a sweet guy. He did not notice the crack but did recommend the replacement of a prop anode. Luckily we had one ready.

Anyway, we went back in and began preparing to repair the hull. Plan is to remove the bottom paint, assess the situation, drain, dry and glass over the crack.

I want to do it as soon as possible.

It's complicated, but my loving wife has rented a cottage out east where we will have a family reunion of sorts and she wants me there, not here mucking about on the boat. To hell with my happiness.

So time is short. Plan is to remove the bottom paint, and while out east let the hull drain and dry, even if that means drilling holes into the fibreglass to drain.

A local sandblasting company says it can be done in two days, they quoted $7,500. I passed. Even if it took me a week to scrape the bottom, I've never earned $1,000 a day.

But I need a quick way to remove bottom paint. I'm not afraid of work. Online, I've found some people use chemical softeners followed by a vacuum scraper. Has anyone cleaned their bottom this way?

Any suggestions, chemicals, scrapers or other solutions, would be much appreciated.

My marriage depends on it.

Foojin, sound the hull with a nylon hammer, and if more weak spots maybe you could consider " Gelpeel pro "if streeping the hull, no clogging and quick job , two days for a 45' , combined with a vacuum aspirator.
Rgds. Claudio

[spaincaptain]

Originally Posted by foojin

We hauled our Tayana 37 for a quick in and out insurance survey. We had to renew and the insurance company insisted on a haulout.

While out, I noticed there was some sort of crack in the fibreglass under the bottom paint, just behind the prop. When I pressed it with my finger, water spurted out. A crack about a metre long showed itself in the bottom paint. Scary.

Not sure I understand how our boat is constructed, but the layer of fiberglass that flexes below the crack seems to be only about 5mm or 1/4" thick, but perhaps it's an illusion created by how easy it was to press it in.

The surveyor is a sweet guy. He did not notice the crack but did recommend the replacement of a prop anode. Luckily we had one ready.

Anyway, we went back in and began preparing to repair the hull. Plan is to remove the bottom paint, assess the situation, drain, dry and glass over the crack.

I want to do it as soon as possible.

It's complicated, but my loving wife has rented a cottage out east where we will have a family reunion of sorts and she wants me there, not here mucking about on the boat. To hell with my happiness.

So time is short. Plan is to remove the bottom paint, and while out east let the hull drain and dry, even if that means drilling holes into the fibreglass to drain.

A local sandblasting company says it can be done in two days, they quoted $7,500. I passed. Even if it took me a week to scrape the bottom, I've never earned $1,000 a day.

But I need a quick way to remove bottom paint. I'm not afraid of work. Online, I've found some people use chemical softeners followed by a vacuum scraper. Has anyone cleaned their bottom this way?

Any suggestions, chemicals, scrapers or other solutions, would be much appreciated.

My marriage depends on it.

https://youtu.be/wJ52Cnyb_0M

[Noahr]

Originally Posted by Happ

It seems you have 2 issues. The first is one form of delamination. That needs to be the priority. If it is a solid hull as others have said you just need to grind the area out until you you are down to solid glass. Make sure the area is good and dry. Might take awhile. So I would suggest grinding the area out now. Let it dry while you are at the family gathering. If you aren’t handy with Fiberglass work hire someone to glass it in. When you come back you can do any final sanding on the repaired area. Then decide if you need to do the bottom now. If not finish the repaired area and put the boat back in the water.

Tackle one job at a time,

YES! One job at a time. Grind and see what is going on with the crack. Could even be as simple as faring compound coming off the hull. Exploratory should take you less than 30 min. with a $30 angle grinder.

[Dave9111]

Why do you want to take all of the bottom paint off?
Unless its cracking or peeling, leave it on.

I don't know why anyone other than racers use hard bottom paint.
Ablative works better, lasts as long and wears off over time. No accumulation.
No stripping. A 4000 PSI pressure washer will take all of it off. No ridiculous blasting fees.
BTW, ablative will go right over hard bottom paint.

Dave

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by SaltyMetals

Ref comment frm Neil Pride about the way the hull is made in two halves and then joined. Several years ago i was in a Rally from Italy around a rock at northern end of Corsica (Giraglia) then back to Italy. About 2 x 60 Nm. The Giraglia rock has an small underwater obstruction just off its NW side but the owner of the HR48 on which i was sailing decided to go through the narrow passage between this obstruction and Giraglia instead of passing outside like the rest of the fleet. It needed a hard turn to starboard to get through the narrow channel but he called it too late and we hit the rocky obstruction hard with the bulb of the keel. This caused the hull to split just behind the keel and one crew member and i shared the next 8-10 hours manually pumping water out of the bilge while we motored back to Italy. The electric bilge pump had no manual over-ride and the float switch was up on one side of the hull instead of in the bilge. The HR hulls are made in two halves and then bonded together. Maybe this is the same on the OP's boat and was caused by hitting an obstruction.
I discovered later that the reason for the late call on the turn (I was on helm so could not see the GPS position) was the update speed of the position that was showing on the plotter located at the chart table. More recent electronics like NMEA 2000 have a faster update speed.
Andrew

The tayana its a split mold construcción, i dont know the HR , probably they scam FG layup like many new builders this days,its a very strong method of hull construction in the past, i can't see any reason to use it in the present.

Basically the mistake they make with this method is that the resin used to glue the two molds leaves gaps when they come together, and the external joint is not covered with fiberglass , a very classic repair, peel the entire joint on the outside and seal it with filler and fiberglass.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by foojin

We hauled our Tayana 37 for a quick in and out insurance survey. We had to renew and the insurance company insisted on a haulout.

While out, I noticed there was some sort of crack in the fibreglass under the bottom paint, just behind the prop. When I pressed it with my finger, water spurted out. A crack about a metre long showed itself in the bottom paint. Scary.

Not sure I understand how our boat is constructed, but the layer of fiberglass that flexes below the crack seems to be only about 5mm or 1/4" thick, but perhaps it's an illusion created by how easy it was to press it in.

The surveyor is a sweet guy. He did not notice the crack but did recommend the replacement of a prop anode. Luckily we had one ready.

Anyway, we went back in and began preparing to repair the hull. Plan is to remove the bottom paint, assess the situation, drain, dry and glass over the crack.

I want to do it as soon as possible.

It's complicated, but my loving wife has rented a cottage out east where we will have a family reunion of sorts and she wants me there, not here mucking about on the boat. To hell with my happiness.

So time is short. Plan is to remove the bottom paint, and while out east let the hull drain and dry, even if that means drilling holes into the fibreglass to drain.

A local sandblasting company says it can be done in two days, they quoted $7,500. I passed. Even if it took me a week to scrape the bottom, I've never earned $1,000 a day.

But I need a quick way to remove bottom paint. I'm not afraid of work. Online, I've found some people use chemical softeners followed by a vacuum scraper. Has anyone cleaned their bottom this way?

Any suggestions, chemicals, scrapers or other solutions, would be much appreciated.

My marriage depends on it.

How long have you owned this boat? Where are you located in the Salish Sea?

To work on the repair you don't need to remove ALL the bottom paint...save that project for your next haul and since you are going that far consider an epoxy barrier coat before painting. You can sand-prep the entire hull for your repair/painting in one day. Most good boat yards rent sanders.

Prior to scheduling your next boat haul check all the available boat yards and see which one would be best/cheapest to remove all the paint. I travel some distance to Port Townsend, WA for boat hauls and they have many independent shipwrights located there as well as repair companies. I stay on the boat while I'm there working on it.

Contact the Tayana Owners Group (TOG) for advice on specifics...many Tayana 37 owner members.

[Ceryan]

I just got my 35’ HR soda-blasted for $2.200. Now it has to be faired and later barrier coated. I am told that in Southern Maryland it is too cold for fairing. So I have wait till the weather warms up.

[hirondeller]

I have some extensions and amendments to post#33 lifeofreilly, he is on to something. I strip heavy paint (on several surfaces including wood and fiberglass) in this way:


1. In the shade (use a tarp or umbrella, or wait for the sun to move): Roll on one of the 'citrus based' paint removers, they are mild and clean up with water (read the label to confirm it is OK on fiberglass). A heavy coating is better.
2. Spritz the coating with water from a pump sprayer, use just enough. Stop if it starts sagging badly and running vertically.
3. Cover the entire 'rolled & spritzed' area with saran wrap (or any clear polyethylene food wrap). Tape if needed but it really sticks. Overlap the wraps.

4. Set a timer, use the recommended maximum time on the label but sometimes I 're-spritz and re-cover with food wrap, if removal is painful, extending the 'stripper time' has not hurt me yet.
5. Use a multi-tool scraper blade (no teeth) with rounded over corners, a sharp file does this in seconds), sharpen the blade on one side like a chisel, follow the profile, remove the 'wire' (that rolls onto the back of the blade while sharpening) with a few dead flat swipes on a flat stone. Believe it or not, the sharper the blade, the less risk of damage to the gelcoat. Can't find a scraper blade? File the teeth completely off on any saw blade and sharpen with a knife sharpener at 22.5 degrees.

6. Don't press down hard, use the most effective 'shallow angle' on the blade to prevent scratching and chattering. The tool is amazingly controllable. Don't be afraid. It will not peel off the gelcoat if you are doing it right. If you added enough 'paint remover' it comes off as pliable paint sheets with each pass.


You will be surprised at how easy this is, the residue is minimal. Sand it off with a vacuum operated 'long stick' drywall sander, this saves your back! I have taken off 7 coats of paint this way with minimal mess. CRITICAL ADVICE: DO NOT LET THE STRIPPER DRY OUT, AVOID THE SUN.


Post back if you try this.Best wishes. I think it will be faster and easier than some other posters are predicting.

[Bakajedosa]

I used caustic soda paint stripper painting it on the hull and leaving to sit for half an hour and than scrap it with chisel. Hell of a work, physically quite intensive but manageable. Once the paint is gone I had to slightly sand it to achieve smooth surface on which I put primer and than new layers of antifouling. I did my 49ft sailboat within 15 days so it can be done in your timeframe. If I was you I would definitely strip everything down as there might be more of similar issues you found only hidden below the paint. Good luck

[Sos]

Have a look at this video -

Sailing Kittiwake

- same boat and how they done their bottom job.

[tkalfaoglu]

Originally Posted by 5BTM

No, I would get a Bosch model GET75-5N.
I strongly recommend the Oneida cyclone.

Um did you mean GET75-150 ?

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by foojin

W
While out, I noticed there was some sort of crack in the fibreglass under the bottom paint, just behind the prop. When I pressed it with my finger, water spurted out. A crack about a metre long showed itself in the bottom paint. Scary.

Not sure I understand how our boat is constructed, but the layer of fiberglass that flexes below the crack seems to be only about 5mm or 1/4" thick, but perhaps it's an illusion created by how easy it was to press it in.

I would say that repairing your boat is beyond a "DIY" job. Have a competent professional examine it and give you a quote for fixing it correctly.