Stripping bottom paint

jasoncooperpcola

jasoncooperpcola

God
Yesterday, i started on a project i wanted to do since i first purchased my V20, stripping the bottom paint off. Got the Johnson off (and it will not be going back on!), and have the boat off the trailer on blocks.

First i tried sanding it with 40 grit sandpaper. It worked fast but with in three minutes i was covered head to toe with bottom paint.

So, i went to West Marine to look at the Aircraft Paint Stripper. Then trying to check out they was having trouble with their card readers. Out of nowhere a guy showed up that i gave a piece of teak to. He paid for my $30 gallon of paint stripper. :clap: I could not believe it.

So far i have half of one side and about a 1/4 of the other side and the transom done. It is not taking it all 100% off, and i have to apply it in layers, i think its only taking one layer off a time. I think there is 4-6 coats of bottom paint on her. :head: Next weekend i will finish stripping the bulk then i will sand the remaining off with finer sand paper when i get it in the garage.

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Better you then me! That's why I never striped mine, what a crappy job to have to do!!

Good Luck with the rest
 
Macojoe, its not too bad of a job, until a big glob of stripper falls onto your eyelid. I ran into the house as fast as i could to wash it off. I literally ran into the house. :you: Missed the entire f-in door! Goggles are a must, this crap burnt!

Curapa, I bought the Kleen-Strip Aircraft Fiberglass Paint Remover. $29 for a gallon at West Marine. I think one gallon will do the V20. I have over half gallon left now. www.wmbarr.com/product.aspx?catid=82&prodid=113

Kracker, i will sand everything smooth then repaint. It will be either blue or black.
 
Kleen-strip is good stuff. Im using that stuff to strip my t-top. Anfd used it to strip my motocycle frame it works great. But burns sensitive areas!!! as you already know.
 
Nice job KJ! Ive got to do the same thing to mine, been putting it off. My V has at least four layers of antifoulant paint to remove. Not looking forward to doing it. What paint are you planning to go back with? Do you keep yours on the trailer or in the water?
 
Mine stays on the trailer. I have been researching paint for the bottom and so far i am leaning towards an epoxy paint. Like Sherwin Williams Tile Clad HS. I used it before and its very durable. I have also been researching possibly gel coating the entire outside of the hull. But i have a design i want to use but not sure how to do it.
 
jasoncooperpcola said:
Mine stays on the trailer. I have been researching paint for the bottom and so far i am leaning towards an epoxy paint. Like Sherwin Williams Tile Clad HS. I used it before and its very durable. I have also been researching possibly gel coating the entire outside of the hull. But i have a design i want to use but not sure how to do it.
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I'm going with INTERLUX VC performance epoxy. A lot of people stand by it and it has great reviews. It's perfect for our boats being on a trailer.
 
Just looked at the VC epoxy. It only comes in white. :cry: But reading the description its perfect for trailered boats. They need to offer it in a few more colors.

I keep reading sprayed gelcoat is very hard to achieve a smooth surface, and that the only real way to get a smooth surface is to spray it in a mold. Price wise its about the same as paint, maybe less. I guess its all in how much work you want to put in. If i can borrow a gel coat gun, i may spray the transom to see how much work is really involved. Anyone here ever done it?
 
jsgeorge4x4 said:
i spent an entire winter under mine when i was 16 with a 1" spackle knife. 17 layers of paint came off. i recoated with interprotect 2000e (6coats) and 3 coats micron csc. i just painted the bottom for the 3rd time in 8 years with the csc and had almost no paint buildup left before painting. 3 coats = 3 years of not painting. why not just sand the gelcoat smooth if you keep it on the trailer?
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I gotta agree. Trailer queens really don't need to be painted. In fact, the only reason to paint a trailered boat is for looks. Personally I like the clean look of an unpainted boat.....but that's just me. :beer:
 
Main reason for repainting is looks. I am about to start a conversion/rebuild and convert it to a center console. Its gonna be a whole new animal when done, and i plan to paint everything inside and out. I am not sure how clean the bottom will be after sanding. But i have been thinking and i may be able to make my paint scheme work with a white bottom.

I do agree a white bottom looks better but i guess after staring at puke green and blue on the bottom for six years i am afraid of what it will look like white. :you:

My paint scheme might now be white bottom with white sides and a blue boot stripe that splits off diagonally and runs around the bow. Only problem is this bow is so funky shaped, i will be painting almost two foot to get it to match the six inch rest of the six inch boot stripe. Here is a quick ms paint i did to try to describe it.

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Holy crap I didn't know I started this in April. v1

I got my pressure washer running yesterday, and started on the bottom paint again. It is alot easier with the pressure washer. But on the keel area, this paint is like steel. The transom is done, and I have about 8' left from stern towards the bow. Been working on the port side. I hope to have it done today. So far I have used about a gallon and a quart of the Aircraft stripper. The pressure washer works wonders on the strakes, areas that with a sander, you would sand through the gelcoat in nothing.

Waiting on it to dry off again, then i will be back on it.:nice:

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I must say. I completely sanded and repainted the bottom of my V20 a couple months back. It came out super nice in the black color I painted it. I tried using the AC stripper and a pressure washer and just didn't have much luck. I ended up using muscle and a Dewalt and sanded the entire thing by hand.

I'm about to turn 37 years old. One thing I've learned over the years is that I'm better off just paying someone else to do certain things. Ive always been a very hands on guy and love doing most things myself, but one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that I will DEFINITELY pay someone else to do my bottom paint the next time. Oh, I've also given up on cutting my own lawn and trimming the trees. I rather enjoy watching a truck pull up, 10 people get out, and in a matter of 15 minutes they've cut, trimmed, edged, and blown away the grass. All while I drink a beer a watch them through my patio doors in the AC. LMAO..

I'm sure in the end, you will appreciate the job much more by doing it yourself. It's a sense of personal satisfaction. But screw that!! I'm perfectly satisfied helping the economy and paying one of my fellow working class buddies to do it for me!! :beer:
 
Well I did not finish it yesterday. Thunderstorms ran me back inside. The rest of the country is going thru a drought and Florida the Sunshine State has gotten rain every day for the past month? I am finding a little bit of gelcoat damage that was covered by the bottom paint based on the fiberglass being blue inside the damaged spots. Its mostly on the strakes. I have found blue green yellow and red bottom paint in different areas. I will get what I can with the stripper and pressure washer. But i think i will have to sand the entire keel to get rid of the bottom paint there. I am starting back at welding class today so I will have the weekend days only to work on it now as i deliver pizza at night.
 
Ok I worked the entire weekend and yesterday at a remodel, so my boss gave me the day off. without pay. So in honor of Labor Day i got back on stripping the bottom paint. After almost getting my truck stuck trying to pull the boat around, I got the boat half way off the trailer on a block in the back.
Before:

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After:

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Other side:
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I still have the keel to do, It has been the hardest part, I have a half gallon of Aircraft Stripper left. Once I "break" the top layer the rest peels right off on the next layer. Paint chips were flying everywhere once I got the pressure washer running wide open. :party:
 
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