Flippin barnacles

[Doc_holiday]

Ok. Don't let them grow in the first place. I know...now

Last year I cleaned and put a decent ablative bottom paint on, the problem was I didn't put enough coats on. It feathered off I am guessing mid season and they began to grow. It was a mess. Poor sailing and the boat had a beard when we pulled her out.




We used a large scraper on a shaft to knock this crap off before we headed home but we did not lay under it and clean it. Before I splash this, I need to get these bastages off. They don't exactly scrape that easily. I have used all types of scrapers and its killing me. There has to be a better way and a pressure washer ain't it. I heard of using CLR and tried it but it isn't cutting them. I'm back to just working through it.

I tried a dull scraper but it gets nowhere. I sharpened one but am worried I will gouge the fiberglass. Sanding with an orbiting sander does t seem any better.



On the left is where I have scraped and its about ready, on the right is the remnants which are maybe 1/32nd thick and about like cement.

Anyone have any magic?

 

[Merlin Clark]

I just read that soaking with WD40 works. Never tried it.
I tried CLR and nada. Paint scraper like this helps a lot, you can get a lot of pressure and for me it's easier to pull the tool than push. Keep a semi sharp edge on it with a file as you work. http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3604749

 

[Justin_NSA]

Holy crap, what a mess! And we complain about zebras.

 

[thinwater]

Remove them while she it wet, ALWAYS, no matter how tired you are. It would have been a reasonable 30 minute job. However, as you have learned they turn into concrete when dried over the winter. While wet a plastic scraper is generally enough.

http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-favorite-bottom-cleaning-tools.html

Procrastination is a bugger.

----

Add your port to your signature; sometimes it helps to know where the boat is sailed.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

^1+

I worked at a boat yard in college.

They would lightly burn the barnacles with a butane torch, as soon as it was pulled out. they said it made it easier. But it never looked easy to me...

on your boat, I think I would use an orbital sander with 120 grit.
and a good air supply.

 

[finding41]

If you use a paint scraper round the edges off first. You may want to do this for the sharp thing on the pole too.
You don't want this shape [. You want this shape (. Kind of, make the ends look like that and you won't gouge your hull.
Next; Never push a paint scraper. It makes it dull right away. Always pull. A file or angle grinder is great for sharpening the blade. (I have lots of sharpened blades on hand and re-sharpen the ones I use after lunch and at the end of the day.)

 

[FlbkRoxie]

Wow! You definitely have a job to do! We had the same problem, but not nearly so severe when we pulled our boat out. Since we don't have bottom paint, and the boat was in the water for 3 months, we had a diver clean it every 2 weeks. But there was still some residue. I heard from a friend to use Lysol toilet bowl cleaner, so we tried it since I had some at home. Used a large Teflon pad. Wet the underside first, then applied the cleaner with the pad, and let it sit a few minutes before scrubbing. It worked!! However, our damage was not nearly as bad as yours. Maybe once you get the scraping done as mentioned above, you could finish it off with Lysol to clean up any leftovers. Just a thought.

 

[RonRock]

Is soda blasting an option?

 

[Doc_holiday]

Thanks,

Blasting isn't an option, unless its TNT. No I am going to switch from a putty knife style to a pull style scraper. I had a pipe dream hoping someone would say something like "oh yeah, use Tilex and they'll fall off." I knew better

I sail in the lower Potomac near Kinsale, VA. I can't seem to make any changes to my profile using the app. I'll probably have to log on via a normal computer some time.

 

[Little By Little ll]

We had about the same amount when we bought our M25, the PO had it in the water three years!!! We could have supplied all the seafood restaurants on the Eastern seaboard. We used heavy duty scrapers and a 41/2" grinder with gator pads. They come in varying firmness but pliable, I think we decide the coarse was too much but the med and fine worked well.

View attachment 65414

Bought them at Home Depot, they are a fabric type pad.

When I find the pictures for our boat I will post them. Good luck!