Bottom Paint Stripper

[Rick]

Hello!Question: Have you used a bottom paint stripper such asWest Marines "Peel Away"? I would like to remove the years of bottom paint from my hull and this method seems to be a lot easier and quicker than conventional sanding. I am concerned about the strength of the stripper and what it could do to damage the gelcoat underneath it. Also, I'm curious to hear how it works and any good/bad comments. P.S.- I put a modified-epoxy based antifouling paint on the hull last year, not sure what the previous owner used though. Any comments/suggestions are greatly appreciated.Thanks, Rick "Tiny Dancer"

 

[Bob Howie]

Peel Away

I helped a friend -- once -- do the bottom on his Catalina 25 and we decided to give the Peel Away stuff a try. Actually, it worked pretty darn well and we did it in early spring here, which in Houston means the temp was 70-80 degrees. It pretty much removed all of the old paint and we sanded what little was left. I think it's a pretty good product. If you want to go for a chemical stripper, I very much recommend Interlux 299E. Looks kinda like snot in a can -- pardon the visual there -- and its particularly formulated to work on fiberglass. Interlux also recommends its follow-on neutralizer. Interlux has been making these kinds of products for 40 years. I-299E is great stuff and it will cause the old paint to come right off with no more effort than using a hard plastic squeegie like they use for body putty and you can pretty much wash/scrub the rest off using a nylon scrubbie. It's worth looking at; works for me.

 

[Richard]

Peel Away

If your going to go the Peel-Away route, buy it from Home Depot its a lot less expensive for the exact same stuff! And be sure to get enough paper....

 

[Paul]

What stripper in the Home Depot

What is the paint stipper you used that is in the Home Depot? Is it normal paint stripper? Does it do anything to the gel coat?

 

[Rick]

My question also!

Thanks everyone for the info......I'm also curious about which Home Depot product(specifically) you used and how did you know it wouldn't hurt the gel-coat? Also, what type of paper/plastic do you apply over the stripper?Thanks for the help!Rick

 

[Bob Howie]

Home Depot Strippers

Hmmm..."Home Depot Strippers"...maybe that's another story!! Anyway, I've been working on boats pretty much my whole life and I don't mind "converting" shore-based materials for marine use, but let me add just one caveat. Gel coat is NOT the fiberglass of which the hull is made! Typically, gel coat is only about 1/8" thick and it's somewhat like the candy coating shell on M

 

[Larry W.]

Strip your bottom some more

Rick et. al.; Can't remember the exact brand name of the stripper (it was years ago) but it carried no warning against using on gel coat. I tried it on a small patch on the rudder and it worked with no damage.