One of the toughest jobs your going to have on your boat is when the time comes to strip all of the bottom paint off its hull. To make that job easier Pettit Paint has introduced a product they call BioBlast 9051.
I wonder if this stuff would have worked on the epoxy bottom paint on my aluminum hull jet boat? I'm currently in the process of stripping that off, using aircraft coating remover and a 2500 PSI pressure washer with turbo nozzle. It's a VERY slow and "paint-staking" process, LOL
Something good to know, is epoxy and polyester are basically not compatible. All of the strenght in fiberglass is in the glass fibers. The more glass, the more strenght. The resin just binds everything together and makes it rigid. Matt has a binder in it that allows you to shape the matt around a curve. This binder is not affected by epoxy resin, and will not allow the matt to go around curves without wrinkles.. There is also a problem with bonding with epoxy, especially since all hulls are made with polyester resin. Epoxy doesn't always stick to polyester like we would like it to. This is doubly important when you consider the difference in price of epoxy vs polyester The jelly stuff is just paint remover. Cheap by the gallon. Ammonia cuts wax, and it is one of the few things that does. Ask your grandmother. She used ammonia to strip paste wax from her floors. Best way to strip a boats bottom is to hire someone to do it at the shipyard. If you do your own, use a small angle head grinder with a flexible rubber pad and a course sandpaper. Wear a good face mask. Don't use the N-95 paper masks, as they are just show. The filling compound looks to me to be "peanut butter", which is basically calcium carbonate, aka very finely ground limestone (NOT calcium hydroxide !) with enough polyester resin to wet it out. The peanut butter is the cheapest and strongest to use. It is basically bondo, and working it before it cures is a LOT easier. A surform file, same as used on auto bodies works great.The stuff turns gray as you mix it. Just add hardener before use. I hope this answers a few questions about fiberglass.
Orbital sander? Your funny:) Where can I get one of those, NASA? Lets see now. a tent set up under the muggy hot Florida sun blasting Crystalline silica all around:) You should make a video showing folks how you do it. I'm sure everyone will want to see that one:) Don't wear any goggles or face that might get in the way of the running gear. You mean my Asics? Also tell everyone about Florida's environmentally ill I-95 Stripper laws to. OSHA K?
If you own a fancy "yacht", get someone else to do the haul out. Trust me, it's worth it, and money wasted on a boat's bottom maintaince is well spent. Anything marine is going to be expensive, because only poor and tough fishermen and wealthy people that don't know better own boats, especially larger boats. And, those that do know better hire a boat, captain, and crew to work for a day or so, then go back to whatever it is they do for the money.... so, it works out and everyone remains happy, and arrogant, and has whatever it is they want out of life.
