What do I use to remove bottom paint?

[Jon Korda]

I have a 1977 Oday 25 that I purchased 6 years ago. I have been using UNEPOXY annually since I have had the boat and finally see that the many layers of paint cracking due to buildup. Sanding in the past has been a hazardous mess. Has anyone tried "peel away" or any of the new-fangled removal systems? Will it take 10 or more layers off with ease?

 

[Justin - O'day Owner's Web]

Clean Strip

I like the products that you apply, then lay plastic over. They are available from any number of vendors but seem to be all the same or similar products. Used correctly they are very effective and very environmentally friendly. Almost all of the paint will come off when you pull the plastic and the little left over will come off easily with a spackle knife.Justin

 

[George Carey]

Peel-Away Bottom Paint Removal

I have a 1983 O’Day 30 that I stripped down to the gelcoat two years ago. Not sure how many coats of paint were on the boat, as the original paint was Pettit Unepoxy, and all subsequent coats were one of the Pettit mult-season paints that slowly wear off the boat. I used almost 10 gallons of the Peel-Away product and it does a nice job of cleaning the paint right down to the gelcoart. The upper sections were easier to do than the horizontal sections of the bottom, that usually required two applications. After peeling and scraping the paint off, I washed it down with water and all of the blue residue came off, and the gelcoat looked like new. You must wear protection, as the product will burn your skin if you leave it in contact for an extended period of time (like around my shirt cuffs). You also have to be careful where you dispose of the removed paint and Peel-Away removal cloths. You end up with a real mess. At the same time I did my boat, two other sailboat owners elected to have the yard remove their paint by sand-blasting with walnut shells. After the job, they’re gelcoat was not as clean as mine and they had to do some sanding. Their cost to sand-blast was almost the same as mine, and they had a lot less work. If I were going to do it again, I would have the yard sand-blast.

 

[Dave]

A Possible Cheap solution....

I had some kind of bottom anti-fouling paint applied to a Javelin 14' which I recently purchased. It needed a lot of cleaning and my wife brought out her arsenal of spray bottle bathroom cleaners to use on the deck. By happenstance a product called "ZEP Citrus All Purpose Cleaner" (you can find it at Home Depot) apparently caused this paint to start running.... The paint was impervious to anything else. I have now removed about half the hull paint in about 4 hours....First you spray it on, let it soak for about 1 - 3 minutes and the wipe. I'm using a "greenie" (scotch guard)as a very mild abraisive to remove it. Don't know what is in the stuff but you can put your hands into it indefinetly without knowing it... it has almost no smell (except for a little citrus)... doesn't seem to bother the fiberglass at all. The only problem I have had is that when the paint washes off on my driveway you had better rinse right away or you end up "painting" the driveway. I don't know if this works for other paints... but it might be worth a try. The stuff runs about $6 / gal at Home Depot. The directions have precautions about not using on Automobile paint.....