I have a nine-year old Hunter 216 that has always been sailed in salt water. The bottom has been painted every year with good quality bottom paint but over the years there has inevitably been buildup and some blistering. End result is it's pretty rough. My question: is it possible and advisable to sand down to the original hull? I have been told of a process called 'soda blasting.' Is anyone familiar with that? If I were to proceed along this line, what paint is best recommended to start over with? Thanks, Bob
Rough Bottom on H216
- Thread starter bobbened444
- Start date
- Status
Bottom Prep for paint
I'd first try a 'Red Devil" hand scraper on an area of the hull. Check with your marina 1st as they may want you to 'catch' the paint scrapings and dispose of them. In any case, ablative paint will scrape off reasonably easily without impacting the underlying gel coat. Multiple coats of Epoxy or vinyl bottom paints may require a soda blast by professionals.
When you've got most of the 'color' off, scratch sand lightly with 60 then 100 grit paper on a hand sanding block or the 100 grit carefully on an orbital sander. Select a bottom paint for your local conditions and use the manufacturer's recommended solvent for a wipe down with clean rags. then roll on two coats of the bottom paint.
As an option, you could first use a barrier coat, such as Interlux 2,000, but if you don't have any blisters, you likely don't need the extra protection. If you do have blisters, that's a completely different story and you'd need to open them up, dry them out, fill them flush, sand & then barrier coat with multiple layers of Interlux 2000, then bottom paint.
I'd first try a 'Red Devil" hand scraper on an area of the hull. Check with your marina 1st as they may want you to 'catch' the paint scrapings and dispose of them. In any case, ablative paint will scrape off reasonably easily without impacting the underlying gel coat. Multiple coats of Epoxy or vinyl bottom paints may require a soda blast by professionals.
When you've got most of the 'color' off, scratch sand lightly with 60 then 100 grit paper on a hand sanding block or the 100 grit carefully on an orbital sander. Select a bottom paint for your local conditions and use the manufacturer's recommended solvent for a wipe down with clean rags. then roll on two coats of the bottom paint.
As an option, you could first use a barrier coat, such as Interlux 2,000, but if you don't have any blisters, you likely don't need the extra protection. If you do have blisters, that's a completely different story and you'd need to open them up, dry them out, fill them flush, sand & then barrier coat with multiple layers of Interlux 2000, then bottom paint.
Sorry, S Sauer, but that's a good approach for fiberglass hulls but the 216 is not fiberglass: the ABS skin on a 216 should never be rough sanded or solvent cleaned. minor scratches on a 216 can be lightly hand sanded - 220 grit - to improve patch adhesion only. Most solvent based paints will damage the hull;alcohol or mineral spirits can be used to clean. Soda blasting is a reasonably non-destructive way to get off the old paint. The only bottom paint Hunter recommends is Interlux bottomkote ACT.
Chuckwayne hit it on the nailhead as most anti fouling paints and solvents will interact with the composite plastics and tear the hull up. I would scrape but used a less course sandpaper using wet and dry with it being wet so not to really scratch the surface. Alcohol and sometimes I used moonshine to wipe off with.
crazy dave condon
crazy dave condon
- Status