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Bottom Paint Chipping

3K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  flyingjib 
#1 ·
Hello Gurus,

I have a dilemma: My 1979 C&C 30 is on the hard. After it was power washed I noticed bottom paint is chipped (1/2" x 1/2") in some areas. The keel has chipped more than any other place. The antifouling has been working great and it looks well adhered overall. There are perhaps 2 or 3 layers of hard antifouling paint on the bottom. Last bottom paint was done in 2010 with Interlux Micron Extra. I know the proper way to go is to strip the paint or soda-blast the entire hull. Both are time consuming and expensive and to be honest I don't want to take on the expense this season. I'm thinking of stripping the keel with Inter-Strip (tried on a small section and it worked great) prime with Primocon and put on another coat of Micron Extra. For the rest of the hull, I'm planning to scrape the chipped paint, light sand and paint over with Micron Extra. I know I'm delaying the inevitable but I'm hoping to get another 2 years before having to soda-blast.

Does this sound like a reasonable approach to you? Any suggestions?

Thanks as always,
Aaron
 
#2 ·
Hello Gurus,

I have a dilemma: My 1979 C&C 30 is on the hard. After it was power washed I noticed bottom paint is chipped (1/2" x 1/2") in some areas. The keel has chipped more than any other place. The antifouling has been working great and it looks well adhered overall. There are perhaps 2 or 3 layers of hard antifouling paint on the bottom. Last bottom paint was done in 2010 with Interlux Micron Extra. I know the proper way to go is to strip the paint or soda-blast the entire hull. Both are time consuming and expensive and to be honest I don't want to take on the expense this season. I'm thinking of stripping the keel with Inter-Strip (tried on a small section and it worked great) prime with Primocon and put on another coat of Micron Extra. For the rest of the hull, I'm planning to scrape the chipped paint, light sand and paint over with Micron Extra. I know I'm delaying the inevitable but I'm hoping to get another 2 years before having to soda-blast.

Does this sound like a reasonable approach to you? Any suggestions?

Thanks as always, Aaron
You don't HAVE to soda blast, it's just the easy, expensive way to do it. Scraping and sanding work just fine, they just take some time. Get a decent orbital sander and start with 40 grit, then 60, then 80, after you've scraped off all you can with a good, long, SHARP scraper. Don't forget to round the corners of the scraper with a file so you don't gouge the gelcoat.
 
#3 ·
There's another solution that may involve less work. I read somewhere, perhaps on this forum, that ordinary drain cleaner will remove all that bottom paint, right down to the gelcoat, but not harm the gelcoat at all. You may be able to find the information by
Google searching the web.

Gary :cool:
 
#4 ·
Hello,

The easiest thing to do would be to thoroughly clean the hull and then just repaint.

The best thing to do would be sand off the old paint and apply new paint.

You can do anything in between. You can sand the areas that are chipped. When the hull is smooth apply new paint. If you are using the same paint you should not need a primer.

Good luck,
Barry
 
#5 ·
From one of the guys from the SBO site.
Take lime, mix in a can of drano & water to form a paste that you can paint on the hull.
Let it sit for 3/4 of day, powerwash off, let paint chips dry, vacuum up. DO NOT LET PASTE DRY ON HULL. Several folks that did try it said it worked real well.

For the record, I have not tried this yet but I am going to be over the summer because it's a pretty cheap paint stripper & don't want the hassle of sanding.

If you're in a boat yard with a bunch of tree/bunny huggers or nosey people, this might not be a good idea cause I'm pretty sure it would be classiified as harzardous waste...
 
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#6 ·
If there's only a few locations where you got some flaking, sanding and scraping the loose paint and then applying a coat or two is perfectly fine. Suggest applying at least two coats of antifouling in those areas down to the gelcoat or barrier coat.
 
#7 ·
Gary-
Traditional drain cleaner is overn cleaner is paint stripper is LYE. Aka "Caustic soda".

Yes it will strip many things, but it also will soften the gel coat and stain it yellow, unless it is removed promptly and then neutralized with a weak acid, like vinegar. Lye is also good at eating flesh, it needs some care in handling.

But, it can be cheap and effective.
 
#8 ·
Oven cleaner is a great way to remove boat names, if they were painted on with sign paint - spritz it on and the lettering just wipes off.
 
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#9 ·
Great info. Thanks as always.

I think for this season, I would only strip the keel and paint over the rest. Next time the boat is hauled, I'll seriously consider sanding it down to gelcoat and starting over.

I appreciate all of your replies.
Aaron
 
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