[bobmcgov]

Removed the painted boot stripe from our Ballad today; some PO had heard that the width of the stripe should vary with the degree of rise, but they got the wider/narrower thing exactly backwards. Also linty roller. Anyhow, a little CitrusStrip took care of it in an hour or so. Beneath was the black bottom paint and beneath that ... what looks like asphalt driveway sealer. Included documentation lists the boat as having "Interlux VC-17 bottom paint over VC Tar."

Oh dear. I didn't find anything searching this site, but others have documented how nasty it is to remove what seems to be a coal tar 'epoxy' barrier coat. Also, not all topcoats seem to be compatible. We want to move to a water-based bottom paint (multi-season copolymer); are we doomed to strip it to bare gelcoat? If so, how the heck do you remove VC Tar?

 

[Sailormon6]

I used Klean Strip Fiberglass Paint Stripper to remove it from my cast iron keel. I brushed it over the surface, and then re-applied it 2-3 times before the previous coat dried. It liquified the VC Tar, and I could then wipe off the residue with paper towels or old newspaper.

 

[bblument]

On a barely-related note, the boot stripe on our boat seems to be some kind of reddish bottom paint (?!?!?!?) painted on top of a reddish piece of vinyl?!?! When I compound/polish the topsides, I have to be VERY careful not to let the orbital polisher touch the boot stripe. If it does, it smears red crap all over my topsides, and it's VERY difficult to get it all off. I took some mineral spirits and a rag to a small section of the boot stripe just to see what the heck was going on, and after some serious rubbing I was able to get it down to a very smooth, shiny layer of red, and it sure seemed like a plastic/vinyl stripe underneath the crappy smeary paint.

Would someone actually have painted OVER a vinyl stripe, with some type of paint that chalks up like crazy? If I rub my hand over it, even when it's dry, the boot stripe leaves red dust all over my hand.

HELP!

Barry