My M-17, # 232, 1977 had old bottom paint with lots of marine growth when I bought her. I spent $9 at the do-it-yourself car wash, and really only removed maybe 75% of the growth. Boat yards usually do the job with a 2,000 psi (or more) power washer, as soon as possible after pulling from the water. Then it was hand-sanded and re-coated with 3 coats of West Marine PCA, since it would be moored in cold mountain water maybe 5 months a year. After a year, it still looks good. I would suggest that you have a good boat yard do the first recoat. They are much better at sanding and surface prep than I am, as my attitude is BAD. Next time you know what coating was used, and can decide what to use next. Some can be applied over old coatings with minimal sanding. Some just build up until they are so thick that they must be taken back to bare hull. If you want something worth worrying about, its osmostic blistering. My M-17 has no blisters, but I think it may have an epoxy barrier coat as I see grey color if I sand into the hull finish. Once you get blisters, the remedy is about 6 months dry-out, followed by epoxy barrier coat, then fair and finish with anti-fouling paint. I had a San Juan 23 that I had to de-blister twice - ugh! On a new hull we used to sand lightly to take off the gloss, wipe with acetone to remove de-molding wax. There are better products available now, but we never had adhesion problems with anti-fouling paint. I've paid boat yards for bottom jobs, and done them myself. Not fun. Mark House ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Davies" <jdavies104@gmail.com> To: "M BoatsForum" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 7:42 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Bottom paint
I sent out the cry for help below a few days ago. Since nobody answered I thought that it might have got lost in the mail so I'm giving it one more try.
Thanks,
Rick M-17 #633 Lynne L
On Sat, Apr 9, 2011 at 9:14 AM, Rick Davies <jdavies104@gmail.com> wrote:
My boat was kept for two years in salt water by the original owner, who painted the bottom with a copper-colored ablative bottom paint. I have trailer-sailed the boat for almost four years in fresh water, and the paint is now showing its age, besides making a big mess when washed with On and Off. Does anyone have any advice about how to remove the old ablative paint and what it should be replaced with? I was thinking of sanding, but the recent posts on gelcoat damage from sanding are making me rethink that and ask for help.
Thanks,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
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