Recomendations to Remove Bottom Paint
 

I am newer to the board. I need some advise on how to remove bottom paint. I want it all off with having to do as little work as possible and not ruining the bottom. I have been told that I may gain up to 5mph by removing this. I'm not exactly sure what kind of paint is on it but I don't think that it is teflon or micron. Any help will be appreiciated.
Thank You

Do a search on the subject and you will find a couple posts I think in the Technical Q+A area. There have been suggestions from sand blasting to high preasure water, to oven cleaner. :D:D

Jon

oven cleaner works o take normal paint off i don;t know if it works with bottome paint. Sandblasting with walnut husks or corn meal i hear works. Take it to somebody that is a professional sandblaster who FREQUENTLY removes bottom paint. If they screw it up it could cost you more speed than you're already loosing.

5 mph? no. MAYBE 1. not 5 though.

I agree only 1 mph. Good paint striper and a pressure washer will take 95% of it off Finish with striper and a scraper. Anything left sand with fine paper. Good luck.

have it done using corn husk material, it wont hurt gel coat

I work for a construction company with many water blasters. What kind of PSI could I use. Keep in mind that i don't want to damage the fiberglass but I want to get as much paint off as possible.

I recently stripped bottom paint using West Marines stripper bottom paint remover....it was a task 21 ' V hull took a freind and i a long day to complete . It actually did a good job ..i was suprised at the results...but this was blue gel and when finished stripping we started prep for a restoration and complete paint job so the results didn't have to be perfect ......not sure how it would be on a white hull that would be left alone after the paint was removed

good luck ....

hey guys,oven cleaner does work very well and will not disturb the gel coat at all......oven cleaner,then let soften paint,then pressure wash.....try it,an old salt showed me this

Yeah, Now he just gets boats and repaints everything but the bottom. :D :D :D

My last two boats came with bottom paint. On the first one, I used a pressure washer with a sand attachment, it wasn't too hard and came out pretty good I think. You have to be careful on convex areas not to go too hard and get thru the gel, I did in a couple spots, but nothing drastic.

The second boat, I took to a place that does bead blasting for corvettes and things. They damn near ruined my hull. There are spots on it that look like it was shot with #8 birdshot. Do not go that route. I did it because they told me it would be much smoother than the sand blast I did on the first boat. BS! The first boat is much smoother. I am having to sand the second boat to smoothe it out, and neet to get the shot holes fixed.

I tried oven cleaner on both. It disolved the paint on the first boat, but still would be a job to wipe it all off. On the second boat (which I believe had much better paint) it didn't even faze the paint. It just cleaned the paint a little.

Also I have used brake fluid, the cheap one you can buy a autozone.I used it on other things but not boat bottoms but you put it on and the paint and in 15 20 minutes depends on the paint you can scrub it off...I just wonder about brake fluid or oven cleaner if it would take off the gel coat, maybe the worst is you have to pay someone to lay on their back and polish with a buffer the bottom

Any fiberglass paint remover works great with a 9" Roller and & chip brushes. Roll only one direction, let eat till blistering, scrap off heavy gunk. Repeat steps but second time pressure wash.