Steel Hull stripping

[LeoKa]

Anyone can recommend a solvent, or chemical (environmentally acceptable), which can remove the layers down to the metal below waterline?
Sand blasting would be my way to go, but it is very restricted, or very expensive, when it is done by a boatyard. I don't mind the work, but I cannot afford 20-30K for a hull job.
Thanks.

 

[Irish Rambler]

20/30k Wow ! I know now why I bought fibreglass.
Try blasting with glass, it makes a great job when we refurbish old truck parts.

 

[ghost]

I’m guessing he means more generically media blasting. I doubt they get nicer just because you are not using sand.

Why not vacuum sanding? Typically you don’t even need to tent. I paid about 1k to have my bottom paint sanded for 48 feet.

 

[Xsbank]

Look up vapour blasting and do it yourself... or hire a kid to do it. The wand is under $200, rent a 4000 psi pressure washer and buy bags of media from the lumber store. Home Depot 5 gallon pail. Face shield, ear plugs. No silica to worry about so no dust and no respirator. I will be doing my decks this way in the fall and if I’m successful or not bored, the entire boat.

 

[Portage_Bay]

If saving $$$ is paramount and IF the existing coating is well adhered and IF you can find out what the existing coating is:

• Contact a coatings expert to find out compatible coating systems
• Vacuum sand most of the thickness and peeling coating away
• Spot grind were the coating has failed and steel is rusting
• (If you have access to compressed air use a pneumatic needle scaler to remove the rust and and profile the spots almost as good as blasting.)
• Feather in the areas you spot ground / needle scaled
• Re coat strictly following your coatings expert's specs with respect to temperature and humidity

It's not as good as a full blast and re-coat but one heck of a lot less expensive. By not as good I mean it won't last as long and you may notice a bit of a speed penalty. I've used that process between complete blast and re-coat jobs. No, I didn't do it myself, I hired the yard to do it. But it still saved a ton of $$$.

Latitude in La Conner won't allow DIY, I've asked and been refused. Port Townsend is probably your best bet. Port of Port Angeles may allow DIY, there sure is a bunch of old stuff that's been hauled there for a long time.

 

[LeoKa]

Why not vacuum sanding? Typically you don’t even need to tent. I paid about 1k to have my bottom paint sanded for 48 feet.

Where did you get this done for 1K? How long did it take?

 

[LeoKa]

Look up vapour blasting and do it yourself... or hire a kid to do it. The wand is under $200, rent a 4000 psi pressure washer and buy bags of media from the lumber store. Home Depot 5 gallon pail. Face shield, ear plugs. No silica to worry about so no dust and no respirator. I will be doing my decks this way in the fall and if I’m successful or not bored, the entire boat.

Wow, this is a great idea! Thanks.
What media is being used?
Was the water recirculated, or just down the drain?

 

[LeoKa]

Latitude in La Conner won't allow DIY, I've asked and been refused. Port Townsend is probably your best bet. Port of Port Angeles may allow DIY, there sure is a bunch of old stuff that's been hauled there for a long time.

La Conner refused any type of job, or just the vacuum sanding?
On their web site, they say that DIY is permitted.

 

[Xsbank]

Just a pressure washer, water lost. I’m going to try ground glass first then sand if it’s not agressive enough.

 

[LeoKa]

Look up vapour blasting and do it yourself... or hire a kid to do it. The wand is under $200,

What would you buy from this place?



https://www.grainger.com/category/p.../outdoor-equipment/ecatalog/N-17vz?perPage=32

 

[Xsbank]

None of those, this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson...it-for-Gas-Pressure-Washers-SAN0002/100663338

You can buy media much cheaper elsewhere, I was quoted $12.00 Canadian for 50 pounds of ground glass at our local lumber store. You can also try a sack of ordinary sand but it must be bone dry.

Good luck and let us know how you make out? Lots of YouTube videos...

 

[LeoKa]

You can buy media much cheaper elsewhere, I was quoted $12.00 Canadian for 50 pounds of ground glass ...

Do I read this correctly? Are you saying to buy grounded glass in 5 gallons bucket?

 

[Lepke]

Sea Hawk marine paint stripper works well on bottom or topside paint. Water washup. Will remove thick paint, use a thicker layer for thick paint.

https://www.seahawkpaints.com/product/marine-paint-stripper/
Cheapest at Amazon or ebay. About $110/gl or $400/5gl.

 

[D.Duck44]

You really have little choice if you want an enduring job. Maybe the marina will allow a wet blast with proper containment.
We are in the middle of such a job on our boat at present. This is by far the worst part of owning a steel boat! (But if done properly expect at least ten years out of it)

 

[ghost]

Given environmental penalties these days, how do you contain the mess when blasting? I’ve blasted things, but never a boat. Yards I’ve been in did not allow it. If you tent, is there an issue of the propellant blowing the tenting down?

 

[ghost]

Where did you get this done for 1K? How long did it take?

For my boat, I’ve kept the buildup at bay, so it was just over a days labor last time. Two days the prior time. I was at Canal boatyard in Seattle. Think they have just a 55 ton lift.

 

[LeoKa]

Given environmental penalties these days, how do you contain the mess when blasting?

Xsbank
recommends vapor blasting, which is not sand and does not fly all over. There is water, but it will drain.
I don't know the answer. I will ask the boatyard.

 

[LeoKa]

Look up vapour blasting and do it yourself. rent a 4000 psi pressure washer.

I don't know how much it cost to rent a 4000 psi washer. I do know that I want to keep and maintain this boat forever. I love steel and I don't mind the work. So, what if I invest into a decent pressure washer with the required characteristics and use it for rust fight and conditioning the boat? Yes, it is not cheap, but I could recover the money in the long run. I was thinking about this one:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...-4-GPM-Gas-Pressure-Washer-DXPW4240/203185026

Additionally, I will buy the Wet Kit, too.
I have to space to put these away securely and my outboard is gas powered anyway.
If you had the money, would you invest into this, if your boat rusts all the time?

 

[Portage_Bay]

La Conner refused any type of job, or just the vacuum sanding?
On their web site, they say that DIY is permitted.

3 or 4 yrs ago I asked Latitude about DIY bottom work on a 40 ft fiberglass boat and was told it wasn't an option. I haven't approached them since then.

 

[Xsbank]

It is much easier to just get you guys to watch videos instead of me trying to explain.

I am purchasing a washer when I find the correct one, Honda motor definitely, try and find one with an Italian rebuildable pump. I don't think that one boat dollar is much compared to the cost of paying people to do this. Besides, you could use it for this one job and sell it on Craigslist and still be ahead.

Get a $2.00 Home Depot bucket to put the sand in, with a lid to keep rain out. Then buy sacks of media. There is a video on You tube of a fellow building a giant steel junk-thing and he wet-blasts the rust off before painting; he chose sand. It does make a mess but NO DUST. You won't make more of a mess than pressure washing the crap off the bottom of your boat before anti-fouling, just use a tarp. I'm going to start by doing my decks in the search for an anti-skid finish; if it is not aggressive enough I will paint with that New Zealand anti-skid stuff. If I get a finish I like, I will do the entire boat.

Almost forgot, our local rental place rents washers for $85/day. That's why I plan to buy one.

 

[Conall63]

Northern tool sells a decent wet blasting kit for $75.00 or so. I use it on a 3500psi power washer and it works great.



You can use play sand, but you have to filter the sand prior to use through a screen. I use the same screen material used in window screens. Bungee strap the screen around your five gallon bucket, and pour the sand in. Cheaper sand tends to have an occasional rock in it that will plug your blasting nozzle. Expensive sand can have the same rock issue, so I filter all my sand. The fabricated media such as glass or black beauty seems not to have the larger particle problem.



Conall

 

[FF]

The paint requirement to work is the metal must be blasted to "water white".


Sand blasting works well but the big boys use 40,000 psi water blasting to get the surface clean.


Commercial yards that service steel boats are the place to shop.


Perhaps a trip to the local fish boat yards might be productive?

 

[jskinner30PII]

Air compressor, needle gun and ear plugs. Old school.

 

[Gmarr]

Air compressor, needle gun and ear plugs. Old school.

Goggles, respirator at all?

 

[jskinner30PII]

Yeah, Goggles, respirator, green side up.

 

[Nomad Willy]

LeoKa,
Try Pat at Lattitude Marine in LaConner.

 

[LeoKa]

Northern tool sells a decent wet blasting kit for $75.00 or so. I use it on a 3500psi power washer and it works great.
Conall

Is this the one?

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660204_200660204

Great advice on the screening. Thanks.

 

[sean9c]

I'm not understanding. I get that wet blasting will keep the dust down but you still have the media and whatever you blast off your boat to clean up and you've added water. Can't imagine any yard letting a DIY make a potential mess like that. Also no way to recover and reuse the media like when dry blasting. And now that you've added water you're also speeding up the rate your bare steel will start to rust again. This is no small project, I have to believe you will either take forever using a little toy setup or need a tow behind a truck size setup and many hundreds of pounds of media to get it done in a reasonable amount of time. Pretty much a job for a pro.
If it was me I'd call around some shipyards and ask some questions and try to get some direction. Try Latitude in LaConner, Port Townsend, and if you don't mind BC, Shelter Island. Heck try Dakota Creek in Anacortes.
I remember Ironsides a friend of mine was the welder that built the box keel under it when it was at Quiet Cove.

 

[LeoKa]

Pretty much a job for a pro.
If it was me I'd call around some shipyards and ask some questions and try to get some direction. Try Latitude in LaConner, Port Townsend, and if you don't mind BC, Shelter Island. Heck try Dakota Creek in Anacortes.
.

You are making some good points. I am new to this, so any opinion is greatly welcome. I will go to P.T. tomorrow and talk to the yard there.

PM sent about the welder.

 

[Xsbank]

You add a corrosion inhibitor to the soap dispenser on the washer and no rust. Honestly gang, watch the videos and learn for yourselves.

Just use a shovel and put it in a container. Media is cheap so you don't need to reuse it and not having to totally surround/tarp/vent/filter your boat with wet blasting and no risk of silicosis is why you do it wet. To do dry sandblasting you need a huge investment in equipment, which is why you pay someone and why the costs are so high. The original poster wanted a cost-effective solution - re-read the posts. I am going to do my boat this fall.