DIY Soda Blasting?

[pwillems]

New (to me) boat owner here just starting to look into options for upcoming haul out. I want to DIY as much of it as possible, obviously to save a few $$, but more importantly because I just want to learn as much as possible about maintaining her along the way. I know from the survey that there is a build up of old anti-foul, and since I have no way of finding out the brand or type, I figure safest option is to strip all the old stuff off and start fresh.

While looking into soda blasting contractors, I have come across some machines that only cost a couple hundred $. It hardly looks like a difficult job, maybe a bit time consuming, but not arduous labor. I am also thinking that a soda blaster would come in handy for many tasks on the boat and around the house going forward.

Has anyone here done their own soda blasting to remove old anti-foul?

[fallingeggs]

I considered it. But finding a yard that allows DIY soda blasting might be harder than DIY anti foul (at least in the NYC area). It's messy stuff made worse by an amateur.

Will pay attention as the idea hasn't completely left my mind!


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[Siberianhusky]

I've done a bit of blasting with various media.
All I can say is with my current experience level I wouldn't attempt it on my boat.
Like many things you pay for, it looks easy but needs skill and practice to do a GOOD job.

[unclemack]

Soda media that ended up sitting on a neighbour's deck was at the time blamed for some very bad brown staining, or so I read a year or two ago.

I do (so far) everything myself and full scale industrial blasting with grit and shot is something I did for a living once. Seen soda used on youtube, way slower than grit.

Suggest looking at vids to see for yourself how slow it is with professional equipment and workers. Diy will be maybe 10 times slower and the worst drudgery imaginable.

Wouldn't even consider diy for my hull even if there were no neighbours to sue me.

Maybe get some local opinion and think about barrier/tie coats?
A draw type scraper can work well for thick antifoul.