Bottom Paint

[DIRTY DOG]

Here's my question , my new boat has not been in the water for about 4 yrs , the bottom paint is chalky, my question is do I clean all the chalky paint off, if so how, and two, do I need to put a barrier goat on before bottom paint.

[mattmishler]

Is it flaking too? Or just have a whiteish color

[DIRTY DOG]

Just dry and chalky

[Sea Eagle]

Here is a great article. It talks about when it's time to remove the old paint and several methods if you need to do it. You might want to check with a few of the marinas to see how much they want to blast the old stuff off.

http://www.pbo.co.uk/expert-advice/antifouling-everything-need-know-17104

[Twill23]

Terry,

Sand it all down as smooth as possible. Then take mineral spirits and wipe it completely clean. Next slap on a coat of ablative. Sea Hawk makes a relatively inexpensive ablative bottom paint that will stick to pretty much ALL other ablative bottom paints.

Dave at Advantage carries it.

It's a big job.

[DIRTY DOG]

Thanks Tj , the bottom is smooth already, do I still need to sand it, or just clean and paint?

[Twill23]

You'll want to sand it still. The purpose of sanding is to help with adhesion. Goodluck!!

[mattmishler]

Its a fun process, get ready to change to a color of black EVERYWHERE

[Twill23]

Its a fun process, get ready to change to a color of black EVERYWHERE

Yea... It reallllllly sucks. I suggest dust mask and gloves, long sleeves and pants.

[ThumbsUP]

I agree with the above posts, the barrier coat should already be in place. Also, 80 grit sandpaper is the way to go. If you are doing it on a trailer don't forget to get under the bunks/rollers. As far as getting covered, I used a tyvek suit:

http://www.amazon.com/DuPont-TY122S-Disposable-Elastic-Coverall/dp/B0008F4HPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426561756&sr=8-1&keywords=tyvek+suit

It's not a fun job, but cleanup at the end of the year is a breeze .