300DB Restoration Continues-Bottom Paint

[AKBASSKING]

Well, I finally got all my $900 worth of supplies to paint the bottom. I am stripping it down to bare bottom, applying Interlux 2000E Primer and them Interlux Micron Extra.

Towed the tub down to Oriental NC to Triton Yachts. Paul is very helpful and his rates are very reasonable. The only casualty was my orange flags. Cops didn't bother me though.

This is a sad day as this is the last trip for "Big Blue." I bought a new F-350 last night.

We arrived at the yard and the first thing was to adjust the boat to the trailer. This took about 2 hours. Shorten the bunks, adjusted the forward mounts and the winch stand. The tub was placed on jacks. When I get home this week I will re-carpet the bunks.

I miscalculated the amount of 200E so I had to buy 2 more gallons.

Tomorrow, a good power wash, a little sanding and some paint stripper. I am hoping to have it completely stripped by Sunday.

 

[SCORPIO]

What trailer did you put under her? Looks like a Venture. How did it tow for you behind a SRW F250/350? Did you have any trouble getting the front of the bunks to align so as not to cross the lifting strakes? Last season, I tried in vain to get my bunks to fit inside the lifting strakes but, try as I did, I couldn't line the boat up so the bunks didn't interfere with the stakes. Wife made me get rid of a brand new trailer, calling it my "white elephant". Did it to preserve marital bliss LOL. I now keep her in a boat yard in the winter, the boat not the wife. I still would like to have a trailer to bring her home for heavy maint. Have fun with the stripping job, been there done that....never again. I'll pay somebody to soda blast my next boat before I lay in that slop and scrape for a week. Better you than me this time.

 

[rabyers1]

Tom,

Looking good. Paul's long-haul driver Carl picked up my Cal 31 sailboat yesterday from its temporary storage in Richmond, Va and hauled it down to Oriental to the Triton yard. You will see it down there (Turning Point). The bottom has a new Interprotect epoxy barrier of 6 coats and then 1 coat of ablative paint over it. I will put a second coat on before it goes back in the water, which will be on the other side of a lot of work to paint the deck and cabin top and wet-sand and polish the topsides. I alternated the Interprotect in two different colors so that I was sure that I was getting good, even coats on it. See you in the yard!

 

[AKBASSKING]

What trailer did you put under her? .

I bought this trailer last year from TNT trailers in Tampa FL. He makes custom trailers and I paid $4200 new. Disc brakes on 2 axles with heavy duty tires. It is a 15 K trailer. Other trailer manufactures want much more than that.

.[/quote]How did it tow for you behind a SRW F250/350?.[/quote]

It did great. You didn't get to 60mph in 10 seconds, but it did a great job. I used the same truck to tow it from Jacksonville FL to Durham. 7.8mpg back then and diesel was over $4 a gallon.

[/quote]Did you have any trouble getting the front of the bunks to align so as not to cross the lifting strakes? .[/quote]

Used skinny straps to lift her off the trailer. The forward strap we had to go in front of the front flat bunks, but no big deal. Worked great. Had to make the strap cutout on the back bunk a little longer as I was moving the boat forward about 1 ft. It was easier to cut it out than move the bunk.

I am only stripping once, I hope.

 

[AKBASSKING]

Tom,

Looking good. Paul's long-haul driver Carl picked up my Cal 31 sailboat yesterday from its temporary storage in Richmond, Va and hauled it down to Oriental to the Triton yard. You will see it down there (Turning Point). The bottom has a new Interprotect epoxy barrier of 6 coats and then 1 coat of ablative paint over it. I will put a second coat on before it goes back in the water, which will be on the other side of a lot of work to paint the deck and cabin top and wet-sand and polish the topsides. I alternated the Interprotect in two different colors so that I was sure that I was getting good, even coats on it. See you in the yard!

Hey Rab,

we will be on the right side as you enter the yard. I will be done on the weekends and have my slide in truck camper with me, so stop by for a beer. Can't wait to meet you.

 

[AKBASSKING]

Found the beast on stands and started the job by scrapping barnecles. My GOD there is a lot of boat. Once we got everything scrapped off, I started to apply stripper to the bow. After about 5 hours, it became clear that the stripper was not going to work with 4 layers of paint. So today when we go down it will be sanding and more sanding. The goal is to take it all down to bare fiberglass. The stripper will be used when we get the paint thined down.

Did I say how much boat there is down there..........

 

[SCORPIO]

I know what you mean.. I used marine Peelaway with the paper that you roll onto the goop after you trowel it onto the bottom. I had to let it soak for 48 hours(keeping the paper moist periodically so the goop didn't dry out) and then scrape and remove the paint/goop and paper in one step. It makes a MESS! But it did remove the paint. After I got all the goop off, I put laquer thinner in a spray bottle and used about two cases of paper towels and wiped all the residue off the entire bottom. After that I sanded the entire bottom to white gel coat and wiped it down with acetone. I then applied the Interprotect 2000, about six coats at the required intervals, just kept using it untill it was gone, why waste it. I then put on a guide coat of color, epoxy based bottom paint, followed by two coats of ablative top coat.

Like I said, it took me over a week of full days to do all that and it was a real PITA. I'll let somebody soda blast the next one.
BTW, my boat had so much paint on her that if you stacked two nickles on top of each other that gives you an idea of the thickness I'm talking about. I think somebody put two coats of hard paint on every year without ever sanding or removing the old paint. Must have removed 300 pounds of weight from the boat.

Have fun!

 

[tobnpr]

I've never heard of a real "success" story using strippers.
Suggest you consider the cost of all your materials- strippers, sanding disks, etc. which adds up REAL quick- as well as your time (which is money, as well) and compare it to the cost of having the bottom blasted.

Don't forget about the environmental hazards. Full Tyvek suits and respirators for anyone working on this. And I'm not an EPA agent... but there are regulations for this work including HAZMAT disposal of the waste.

My 39 needed to be done two years ago- including some blister repair before the barrier coat. Bottom was sandblasted (no one locally did soda so I can't comment) and then completely skimmed/re-faired perfectly smooth. I spent quite a bit of time at the yard watching the progress- and it was a huge job.

 

[AKBASSKING]

Thanks everyone,

The admiral and I both wear respirators and safety goggles. I believe at this point, I am going to sand it all. I found using 60 grit on an orbital sander is doing a better job than the stripper.

Amazing what you find too when you take off all the bottom paint. This boat has had a few repairs. Hope I don't find anymore.

The Admiral was a trooper this weekend and we made a good start on the project. She jumped right in there.

I still say the bottom of this thing is over an acre!

 

[AKBASSKING]

It was a long weekend of sanding and sand and more sanding. I found out that the Norton 60 grit (Home Depot) is a better product than the Gator 40 grit (Lowes).

I also found that if you let stripper dry on the paint.....turns it to stone. Hence the time taken this weekend.

One of the reasons I am doing this is to find the true codition of the hull. It would appear that this hull has been repaired on occations. So far I have not seen any blisters.

Lots more time need to get everything down.

I am falling in love with this small NC town of Oriential.

Dang I can't get the last picture to upload.

 

[AKBASSKING]

Try this way.

 

[AKBASSKING]

Update:

Sanding, Sanding, Sanding and more Sanding!! Finished Stbd side today. 24 hours worth of sanding. No pics though, forgot camera.

I use 100 pieces of 60 grit paper today. The Shop Vac blew up, (quit) so I had to buy another one. Well I got my money's worth as the old one was 25 years old.

The keel is clean with no repairs. So no one hit any rocks or ran aground on any rocks. However, it seems PO like hitting things as there are a few repairs in the sides.

Man this type of work will make you sore. I am living on Advil and beer in the evenings. :smt100

I do have a few "hair line cracks in the gel coat and asked the yard to look at them. They told me that it wasn't a big deal as I was going to put a barrier paint on. I will try to post some pics next week.

 

[JC_Weekender]

Ugh...I so dislike sanding! I feel your pain!

 

[AKBASSKING]

Ugh...I so dislike sanding! I feel your pain!

Oh man the day after. I have a heat patch on my back and on my right shoulder!

I figure 2 more weekends of sanding and it will be done. I am hoping the weather holds to where I can paint. If not plastic and heaters.

Based on what everyone here has said I am going to paint the rudders and the shaft supports. I am leaving the props alone.

Question:

Would you paint the trim tabs and actuator cylinders?

 

[SCORPIO]

Yes to the trim tab painting. I want to try Prop Speed on my tabs and props as its supposed to adhere better than any other coating.

 

[AKBASSKING]

I hate sanding!

I am 80% done! I have the prop wells, stern and a little part on the stbd aft side left to do. I have gone through about 200 pieces of sand paper!

Did I say I hate sanding!

The admiral is back, so I will be able to take pictures next weekend.....

I hate sanding.............:smt089

 

[JV II]

Can you determine your overall cost for the job including the new shop vac and materials and estimate the total hours you put in at the end?

 

[AKBASSKING]

Can you determine your overall cost for the job including the new shop vac and materials and estimate the total hours you put in at the end?

Yeah I can try to do that. In the end, it may have been cheaper to pay someone to do it. But as an old aircraft mechanic, I like doing things myself, that way I learn and guarantee it is done right the first time.

I have had some at these marinas express that they would just do a light sanding and paint over it. I have found that there is no barrier coat on this boat and I now know what repairs were done to the hull.

Just a little hard headed I guess.....:smt021

 

[Daddubo]

I am thinking about doing mine I was wondering if you tried a wire wheel on a 4" grinder?

 

[carterchapman]

Tom,

What a job! I thought you were in AK and was going to ask you about the "shirtsleeves" in Nov picture, but I must have missed the part about NC!

Thanks for sharing your restoration progress!