damaging / rusting other yachts with 'steel grinding overspray'?

[Offshore1960]

I have a steel tugboat (for work) and a fiberglass sail boat. My preference on doing steel maintenance on the tug is to use abrasive flap wheels on a 4.5" angle grinder for removing light rust and feathering the paint around the edges. For heavy scale we use an air powered needle gun first. We got away from using the wire cup wheels on grinders due to the fact they tend to shed wires everywhere which eventually cause rust spots all over the deck.Even though it is a work boat we are still concerned with appearance. As the others have mentioned it's best to protect and contain the work area so the grinding dust does not spread to other boats or areas on your own that you are trying to keep clean. We sweep up all the chips and dust right away after we are finished.
Best of luck with your new boat!

[ausnp84]

Originally Posted by Offshore1960

My preference on doing steel maintenance on the tug is to use abrasive flap wheels on a 4.5" angle grinder for removing light rust and feathering the paint around the edges. For heavy scale we use an air powered needle gun first. We got away from using the wire cup wheels on grinders due to the fact they tend to shed wires everywhere which eventually cause rust spots all over the deck.

That's a good bit of advice right there... needle guns make much easier work of flaky steel than a hammer and chisel

Do you still tarp up when using the flap wheels, or do you find they spark less?

n

[reed1v]

That actually happened twice to us. Yes the steel chips will dig into your decks and rust eventually. Guaranteed to happen. A bunch of us in the Ala Wai Marina successfully got the insurance company of the offending boat to pay for repainting all boats affected in the Marina. Affects those with paint jobs like imron, etc.; Gelcoats alone will be ok with a wash down. Second time was with a hotel being constructed. Again the insurance company of the hotel developer paid.
We also found out we could directly sue in small claims court(under 10k) to have the owner liable and a lien placed on his boat till damages paid. Small claims varies by state. Good luck. Act quickly.

[rognvald]

Why not take your boat out on the hook and run whatever power tool you want with a generator? Problem solved. Potentially damaging work of this nature should not be done in a marina but rather on the hook or in dry dock. It's the decent thing to do.

[Reefmagnet]

Get yourself a cordless 4" grinder if you can. Not as powerful as a corded model, but perfect for your application.

Sent from my SGP521 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by jheldatksuedu

The tarp tent, taped closed and vacuum sucking air out, so any leaks in the tent are inward should be fine anywhere. I can't see how it would make a difference with a wire wheel that is plain steel or stainless. Your not leaving any of the wheel and your working on plain steel. I've always used plain ones. Phosphoric acid all the exposed steel when you done.

Stainless steel wire wheels shred no where near as much as the plain ones. That's the difference. And the plain ones shred lots.

But, my recommendation is flap disks anyway. And use a vacume cleaner as you go.

[Rustic Charm]

You also should check to see if the Marina will even let you use a grinder. Lots of marina's over here specifically forbit any tools such as grinders and saw's etc.

I recently did a lot of work on my in a 'boat yard' and still got complaints so I immagine I'd get a lot more in a marina.

[mowerandy]

Good for you for taking her away from other boats to do your grinding!

Its a big world, but you never know when your (rust hating, GRP sailing) neighbor might actually be reading the thread!

PS: understand your frustration - the work pontoon has been crowded out pretty much since marina 1 sank last year. Slips/work pit were pretty clear tho last I looked, about a week ago...

[Sailing55]

There is a reasonable solution to this problem, by the way.

Use a wire brush and chip hammer [by hand], remove the loose scale and then coat with Ospho or Coraseal, let the chemical reaction take place, then touch up with paint. Simple. Then put these temporary repairs on your list of maintenance to be done on your next haulout. Repairs like this are an ongoing, logical solution to steel boat maintenance.

Much better to have friends than enemies...

[SimonV]

Do not do any grinding or sanding on a steel boat neat other boats. Go to the correct designated slip. Even if rust spots show up on other boats not caused by you, you will be the one defending yourself. Do not do it near others .

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[Offshore1960]

Originally Posted by ausnp84

That's a good bit of advice right there... needle guns make much easier work of flaky steel than a hammer and chisel

Do you still tarp up when using the flap wheels, or do you find they spark less?

n

We find the flap wheels don't spark all that much but still send the rust flying so we do try to contain the area we are working in if there are other boats around. And then sweep and shop vac up right away when we are done.

[sy_gilana]

Apart from all the above, you should try low speed grinding....
I use 1mm cutting discs to undercut teak etc.. These are fitted to a cordless drill, on a slow speed.
Instead of using an angle grinder, use a polisher on slow speed with the same normal grinding discs.
With an angle grinder, I would say a safe distance is about 100 yards minimum. With low speed, that drops to about 20 yards. Do small sections, and cover them with epoxy primer within 30 minutes of grinding.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Those things are horrible for small jobs. If it were me, I'd use a synthetic flap disc designed for rust removal instead, followed by the usual treatment. Use shade cloth or tarps to prevent wind blown detritus and protect or wash down your own adjacent deck immediately afterwards to prevent rust speckles.

Sent from my SGP521 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

I agree with this. Also, if you have an assistant, use a shop vac right at the grinder discharge. If all of the work is on very small areas consider using a tiny tool such as a Dremel to localize the work and minimize the energy. Keep the swarth on your own boat. If there is a work area down wind I would use it. Its amazing how far the trash can fly.

[ausnp84]

Make sure you protect your own paint as well! If you've got any vertical surfaces near the work area (ie. coachroof, pilothouse, etc), you can bet the grinder will manage to embed steel filings in there. Better to cover them to protect the paint, rather than having to go through the hassle of touching up / repainting later.

n