Removing bottom paint from boat

[ris]

Testing different ways to remove bottom paint on 26x. Tried sanding, it is very dusty and really need coveralls, good mask and dust goes everywhere. So then tried bottom paint remover from west marine. Just bought a quart. There seems to be at least a brown coat and 2 black coats and in some places it is very thick. I left the paint remover on for 4.5 hours and then used a 3 inch razor blade scraper to remove. I think I will put one more coat on to remove the last of it which was the thickest part. It says to use between 50 and 80 degrees F. It is 92 here in central Florida at 4pm so will put another coat on first thing in the morning. Should I just hit cleaned area with sander or get the rest off with another batch of paint remover?

 

[Justin_NSA]

I wet sanded my hull. No dust. Rubber gloves , mask, goggles, and a tyvek suit keeps you protected.

 

[katana750]

I was kind of looking into this as well. Did you just use a normal air sander and a spray bottle or a special sander with a water supply? What grit sandpaper did you use?

I like the idea of wet sanding but wasnt sure quite how to go about it. My other option was a sander hooked up to a shop vac. It works ok but I think wet sanding would help quite a bit with the dust. I just have the little last bit of ablative paint to remove.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I have a rubber hand sander. It's about 10" long. It lets me get 3 strips out of a sheet of sandpaper. I don't remember the grit. You don't want to go too coarse and go too deep. The paper was blue. Lasts longer wet than the basic paper sandpaper. I would dunk it into a 5 gal bucket to wet it. Kept a hose handy to clear the hull and the paper. My arms sure got tired though! At least it isn't a big keel boat.

 

[StargazerP303]

you might think about "soda blasting" they come to you and approx: 2hrs.. There done! If your on a trailer, you can take it to them and save money. I did my Pearson 303 it was around $800. In Virginia, MD. Afterwards, put 5 coats of barrier followed by 6 coats ablative paint. Soda blast.. Was good and fast.

 

[finding41]

Why do you want to remove it?
If you are going to put more on why not just put it on over the old? Some people put a different color on for the last coat. When it wears down you can see the old color. It's a great way to see how long it lasts. Plus you still have anti fouling paint on before you need to redo it.