Anyone ever use a Paint Shaver Pro to strip a deck?

[Barking Sands]

I am nearly done with the inside and have been putting off the exterior long enough. So Friday I took my existing tools and sanders and strippers to the boat to try the various methods on the foredeck. I wasnt really happy with any of them. It was clear the many layers of paint already on the boat was going to make this tougher than it needed to be. The previous owners have put several layers of paint in various areas on the exterior. Some of the paint appears to be latex house paint, some is probably oil based house paint and some marine finish etc. Chemical stripper works as it should but the various layers will require several applications and there are various epoxy repairs that are uneven. Sanding with 80 grit was taking too long and being gummed up. The best item I had was a Milwaukee die grinder with some fancy roloc pads. But even that was going to take some time. In addition doing this in the slip was causing too much dust. Ill need better dust control.

I did some research and stumbled on this Amazon.com

I went ahead and purchased it along with extra carbide bits. Anyone ever use one? There is another version of this that appears to be better on curved surfaces such as hulls called the Gelplane. It really appears to be better all around. But it is substantially more. maybe 3to 4 times more.

Sail Life used both in this video and very much preferred the Gelplane but the other one seemed to work fine. In addition all my areas are going to be flat.

I am really hoping it works. If it does it looks like it has the potential to decrease this project time substantially?

 

[heysteve]

So... I once removed some gelcoat using a Harbor Freight electric hand planer. It worked remarkably well on flat surfaces. Just be careful with depth

 

[Barking Sands]

So... I once removed some gelcoat using a Harbor Freight electric hand planer. It worked remarkably well on flat surfaces. Just be careful with depth

LOL..yes for sure. 95% of the areas I need to do are flat surfaces. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Xlantic]

A hot-air gun and carbide Bahco scraper works well to strip paint off wood.

I don’t know how it would fare on painted fiberglass, if that is what you have.

 

[jgwinks]

LOL..yes for sure. 95% of the areas I need to do are flat surfaces. Thanks for the feedback.

A friend did that on his hull. I was really surprised that planer meant for wood would even cut gel coat. But it did and he said he didn't even have to replace the blades. But I would use a cheap Harbor Freight model and treat it as disposable rather than a $300 Milwaukee. The ones meant for gelcoat are really expensive so it's worth a try.

 

[Barking Sands]

So I was not impressed with the Paint Shaver Pro. I tried adjusting depth and various other things and it was just way too inconsistent. Could have been user error but I made a few nice swirls that will now have to be filled..lol. There is another model (shown in the video) that apparently is super easy to use but its $3000. Anyone want to buy a slightly used Paint Shaver Pro?

 

[jeffj]

I am nearly done with the inside and have been putting off the exterior long enough. So Friday I took my existing tools and sanders and strippers to the boat to try the various methods on the foredeck. I wasnt really happy with any of them. It was clear the many layers of paint already on the boat was going to make this tougher than it needed to be. The previous owners have put several layers of paint in various areas on the exterior. Some of the paint appears to be latex house paint, some is probably oil based house paint and some marine finish etc. Chemical stripper works as it should but the various layers will require several applications and there are various epoxy repairs that are uneven. Sanding with 80 grit was taking too long and being gummed up. The best item I had was a Milwaukee die grinder with some fancy roloc pads. But even that was going to take some time. In addition doing this in the slip was causing too much dust. Ill need better dust control.

I did some research and stumbled on this Amazon.com

I went ahead and purchased it along with extra carbide bits. Anyone ever use one? There is another version of this that appears to be better on curved surfaces such as hulls called the Gelplane. It really appears to be better all around. But it is substantially more. maybe 3to 4 times more.

Sail Life used both in this video and very much preferred the Gelplane but the other one seemed to work fine. In addition all my areas are going to be flat.

I am really hoping it works. If it does it looks like it has the potential to decrease this project time substantially?

I owned one and used it on our house (LAND). It is a fantastic tool and I believe it will do the job. Set it very shallow, practice on some wood.
Also check out Oniedas Dust Deputy.
It does create a LOT dust/debris.
Once you are dialed in, work will be quick

 

[Barking Sands]

I owned one and used it on our house (LAND). It is a fantastic tool and I believe it will do the job. Set it very shallow, practice on some wood.
Also check out Oniedas Dust Deputy.
It does create a LOT dust/debris.
Once you are dialed in, work will be quick

I tried it on wood and it is better. But on the paint and gelcoat it was difficult to use. It may be user error though..lol.

 

[jeffj]

I tried it on wood and it is better. But on the paint and gelcoat it was difficult to use. It may be user error though..lol.

Not error, just lack of practice (and patience on my part). It took some trial and error. What I found was to back way off on home much is being removed and slowly increase. My house has 80+yrs of paint. Thicker that most gel coat. Take your time and get a feel for it. It was worth it.

 

[O C Diver]

This thread sent me on a trip down memory lane, removing my aft teak deck.

My Short Haul Refit

Must be little demand for the lift if it is available to be idle for hours for one to do repairs while hanging. Frankly, I want my boat to be secured (not hanging) as soon as possible. Mark, when a boat is short hauled, it's keel blocked so that the weight of the boat is resting on the keel...

www.trawlerforum.com

Ted

 

[jgwinks]

I once helped strip off gelcoat on a sailboat hull with a disc sander. Fortunately someone else's boat so I could walk away when I'd had enough. If I was to do it again (God I hope not), the planer sounds like a much better idea. Just wear good hearing protection, the noise must be horrible. My power planer on wood is bad enough.