As soon as the weather warms up I am planning to strip the old and very uneven antifouling off our 94 Hunter. Having done this on previous boats by sanding I am anxious to avoid that method again. I want to try a bio-degradable chemical paint stripper. I have seen several rather expensive "marine" options, but I have also seen paint strippers that advertise OK to use on fiberglass at the local hardware store. Is there any reason these would not work as good as the so called marine product without damaging my gelcoat? Is there a particular chemical in the stripper to avoid. The plan is to apply VC Tar and VC 17. Any advise or experiences would be appreciated.
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Peel Away
Glen: There have been several posts over the years regarding this subject. Some owners have reported using the Peel Away product that is sold in the hardware/paint stores with good success. The first thing I would do is to power wash the bottom to remove as much of the bottom coat as possible. Then you can use the remover on this. You are wise to wait for the warmer weather too.
Glen: There have been several posts over the years regarding this subject. Some owners have reported using the Peel Away product that is sold in the hardware/paint stores with good success. The first thing I would do is to power wash the bottom to remove as much of the bottom coat as possible. Then you can use the remover on this. You are wise to wait for the warmer weather too.
RE: Peel Away
Glen, I used Peel Away last spring & it was the best by far of any of the products I used. I had about 6 or 8 coats of modified epoxy that was a real bear to get off, and it did an *ok* job of getting it off. I still had to do an incredible amount of work to get it all off, though. In my case it took 3 applications for most of it. Whatever residue was left I removed with Easy Off & then thoroughly washed the bottom with soap & water prior to painting. Brace yourself for a big $$ if you are considering it. I think it was about $150 per application for my C-30 (I could be way off here, but that figure comes to mind), but it sure as hell beat sanding or unassisted scraping. If you're like me, you'll switch to an ablative co-polymer and never have to deal with it again. Good Luck! Allen Schweitzer s/v Drambuie C-30 Hull# 632
Glen, I used Peel Away last spring & it was the best by far of any of the products I used. I had about 6 or 8 coats of modified epoxy that was a real bear to get off, and it did an *ok* job of getting it off. I still had to do an incredible amount of work to get it all off, though. In my case it took 3 applications for most of it. Whatever residue was left I removed with Easy Off & then thoroughly washed the bottom with soap & water prior to painting. Brace yourself for a big $$ if you are considering it. I think it was about $150 per application for my C-30 (I could be way off here, but that figure comes to mind), but it sure as hell beat sanding or unassisted scraping. If you're like me, you'll switch to an ablative co-polymer and never have to deal with it again. Good Luck! Allen Schweitzer s/v Drambuie C-30 Hull# 632
The key to using Peel Away is
Follow the directions scrupulously...don't take ANY shortcuts. Use it only within the recommended temps, apply it to the recommended thickness--don't try to stretch it--and no matter how fast you THINK it's working, leave it on for the full amount of time. The only people I've ever known who weren't happy with it were those who decided to re-invent the directions to suit their own ideas.
Follow the directions scrupulously...don't take ANY shortcuts. Use it only within the recommended temps, apply it to the recommended thickness--don't try to stretch it--and no matter how fast you THINK it's working, leave it on for the full amount of time. The only people I've ever known who weren't happy with it were those who decided to re-invent the directions to suit their own ideas.
pressure wash first!
When I did mine last spring, I used a 2,000psi pressure washer with just ater to blow off 95% of the stuff. Took 6 hiurs to do my 28.5 hull. Then, the Peelaway worked real well, and I didn't need a ton of it!. Water is cheaper than Peelaway and much easier to work with!
When I did mine last spring, I used a 2,000psi pressure washer with just ater to blow off 95% of the stuff. Took 6 hiurs to do my 28.5 hull. Then, the Peelaway worked real well, and I didn't need a ton of it!. Water is cheaper than Peelaway and much easier to work with!
Another Peel Away Fan
My 25.5 Hunter had not been stripped since new...1985! Needless to say there is an awful lot of paint on it. The winter has been relentlessly cold here in NY, but I was too anxious to wait, so back in January with two 45 degree days forecast back to back I tried a test strip about 4 feet wide and down to the keel. 30 hours later I peeled the cover paper away and the paint came off with it, right down to the epoxy barrier coat. I let it fall on a plastic tarp, gathered it up and was done. I can't imagine it being easier or cleaner than this. Use Peel Away 1, sold at Home Depot in 5gl buckets (pretty cheap!), as it will not disturb your barrier coat (got this from the company chemist). As has been mentioned here, you must follow the instructons. The Peel Away folks told me 45 to 50 deg minimum, 1/8" thick coating, and patience. It can take up to 48 hours to work. Just take a peek under a corner every so often.
My 25.5 Hunter had not been stripped since new...1985! Needless to say there is an awful lot of paint on it. The winter has been relentlessly cold here in NY, but I was too anxious to wait, so back in January with two 45 degree days forecast back to back I tried a test strip about 4 feet wide and down to the keel. 30 hours later I peeled the cover paper away and the paint came off with it, right down to the epoxy barrier coat. I let it fall on a plastic tarp, gathered it up and was done. I can't imagine it being easier or cleaner than this. Use Peel Away 1, sold at Home Depot in 5gl buckets (pretty cheap!), as it will not disturb your barrier coat (got this from the company chemist). As has been mentioned here, you must follow the instructons. The Peel Away folks told me 45 to 50 deg minimum, 1/8" thick coating, and patience. It can take up to 48 hours to work. Just take a peek under a corner every so often.
Why VC-17
Are you racing or do you just want to go 1/10 of a knot faster! I perfer a multi-season, lost less work.
Are you racing or do you just want to go 1/10 of a knot faster! I perfer a multi-season, lost less work.
Jim, because VC17 is on the boat!
Jim, you must be having a bad day. I want to take the VC17 off, not put it on! Kevin
Jim, you must be having a bad day. I want to take the VC17 off, not put it on! Kevin
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