Anti foul advice

freespirit3 · 18 February 2014, 19:42

Good evening folks

When I bought my redbay last year I bought it secondhand as it was, I have now decided to do some improvements to the hull.

The tubes are navy blue with a white hull, now the challenge.

The boat was stored for some time in a marina and the previous owner had the hull antifouled inline with the "at rest" water line.

Spring challenge, I want to remove the anti foul

What do you recommend, some paint like internationals anti foul removal or something else, boat currently on a trailer but could put it on blocks or a trolley.

What do you think and who is best to buy the products from

Thanks for reading this

mick · 18 February 2014, 20:00

It's been covered before
Been on with mine hard job to do I did it this way scraped AF off as much as poss with paint scraper which leaves some on so then I used wire wool and thinners to get that off then finally thinners and rag
Always wear a good quality mask and gloves as its toxic
Still on with mine as well there are other ways but that's the way I went

GJ0KYZ · 18 February 2014, 20:10

I wouldn't bother. It's a really messy, difficult job and you may find that the gel coat was keyed up before being antifouled which will be another problem for you to deal with. I'd give it a lick of fresh paint and leave it at that.

CJL · 18 February 2014, 20:36

Don't bother it's a nightmare to do - speaking from long, cold, back ache inducing experience!

Chris

freespirit3 · 18 February 2014, 21:17

Thanks for the feedback so far, got some decisions to make.

Rear on the transom looks ok, but underneath some white is showing through and it looks a mess.

CJL · 18 February 2014, 23:59

Re antifoul is my advice!

Chris

whisper · 19 February 2014, 00:29

What ever you do don't breath it in. Try searching for soda blasting? You need to find a marine dealer to do it and also ask them about polishing to an original finish, but if it's keyed in it will be quite a task and quite expensive...

If that doesn't float your rib, then have a look at the system that 250knots used on the Parker I think it was something like:

multiseason antifouling 10 years protection hard wearing copper filled epoxy resin copper antifoul

Good luck

Starovich · 19 February 2014, 08:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by whisper

What ever you do don't breath it in.

From bitter experience this is very true i tried an AF removal product, then washed the hull before pressure washing, the mist from the pressure washer landed on my skin and within minutes I was in a rash all over and feeling very sick. it took 3 hours and a very long shower before i felt remotely normal again.

HUMBER P4VWL · 19 February 2014, 08:29

Depends on what you want to achieve and/or spend.

Ask a back street garage with a spray booth to scrape off most of it then grind it off back to gel coat?

Do not grind yourself, dust is poisonous.

As said though if it's been keyed and you want a polished gel coat, it will cost money.

Scrape it back and put new coat on is my advice.

willk · 19 February 2014, 10:50

If you're not going to keep the boat afloat - don't reapply AF. It doesn't trailer particularly well and discolours after a year. If your desire is to improve the look of the hull, I'd suggest having the AF removed professionally (soda or CO2 blasting) and see what you are left with. If the hull isn't damaged by scoring (keying) then a polish might see you right. If it is beyond polishing then consider a hard wearing paint job - someone will recommend a product. FYI, a smooth paint job will add a knot or so to your top end, compared to most rough AF finishes, so not all bad!

GordyP · 19 February 2014, 11:17

The soda blasting is good, shouldn't cost a huge amount but it does leave a matt finish. I've never tried to polish this matt finish up so don't know how much work is involved, you might find that a bodyshop place will be able to sort the polishing side pretty rapidly with the right tools.