Green bottom paint?

[turkish6]

hello everyone.
I removed all my old bottom paint using a hook scrapper. Right below the water line I have a strip of black paint with a green tint to it. I can't seem to strip this off. It is very very hard. It varies from 2 inches to 4 inches in width. Is there anything I can use (thats safe) to soften this up so I can scrape it off.

[delmarrey]

Are you talking about the bottom paint that has oxidized (copper oxide)??? It sounds like the old bottom paint.

Bottom paint usually has copper in it and over time right at the water surface the black bottom paint can turn green due to the oxygen. The more wave action the wider the band.

[Pblais]

The green is most likely copper left from old bottom paint. I would use caution scraping. If you were planning on taking it all the way down to re apply a barrier coat(s) then I would use soda blasting, then apply 2 coats of barrier coat and apply new bottom paint.

[turkish6]

yes its the bottom paint. is it safe to lighty sand this area and then paint over it?

[Celestialsailor]

You might try Jasco Epoxy stripper. Where gloves and check it often.

[Pblais]

Very light sanding should be all you need to do. Usually power washing with some scraping if anything was attached that tight is all that is needed. To remove all the bottom paint is going to take away some barrier coat and then you need to reapply that before you paint.

[turkish6]

how can I know if I took off some or all of the barrier coat?

[Pblais]

how can I know if I took off some or all of the barrier coat?

You'll see the gelcoat or strands of fiberglass depending how deep it was removed. Most of the time it's another color so it is easier to tell.

[Aramanta]

Could someone enlighten me as to what "Bottom Paint" is? I am not familiar with the term.

Thanks

[Pblais]

Bottom paint is the outer layer of paint used to prevent marine growth in salt water. It can also be called "anti-fouling" paint being a more accurate term for it.

[dacust]

Originally Posted by Pblais

Bottom paint is the outer layer of paint used to prevent marine growth in salt water. It can also be called "anti-fouling" paint being a more accurate term for it.

And as we all know, it's still more accurately known as "kinda-slows-down-fouling" paint.

[Pblais]

"kinda-slows-down-fouling"

Of course because the stuff that really works is so toxic it's banned in most parts of the world.

[Aramanta]

An "American" term then? :-)

[Pblais]

An "American" term then?

Have you another? I think we did a thread on sailing terms in different versions of english before but I don't recall this one coming up. It does come up a bit though.

[Aramanta]

Hi Paul,

Checked with an ex shipyard collegue. You are right it is used over here too! Though he did say it was called "Bottoms" paint. We are trying to find out why plural.

I have only heard of it as "antifouling"

Cheers

John