Removing 1 part paint in prep for 2 part.

[L124C]

Originally Posted by Thumbs Up

Most types of chemical paint strippers can damage gel coat. Could that be the issue?

No. The renew removers I'm using are specified for fiberglass.

[bony]

Originally Posted by L124C

What is peel away 8? I looked on their website and don't find it. I actually bought a gallon of the Marine peel away stripper, only to be told by Dumond that is not necessary unless you're removing antifoul paint.

PeelAway 8 is for Acrylics, Polyurethanes, Marine & Epoxy paints. I used it to strip my boat and it did a brilliant job.

Peel Away 1 is for Oil, Enamel & Lead paints

Peel Away 8 is found here - https://www.peelaway.com.au/peel-away-8/

PeelAway 8 does soften antifoul paint so that it can be easily scraped off the hull, but that's not it's only purpose. If you've got a painted deck you want to strip it will do the job, but you have to follow the directions and use the paper supplied with it.

I don't know about black on older boats but boats with black hulls or decks seem to be the fashion nowadays in Australia. They must get uncomfortably hot in the summertime.

[L124C]

Originally Posted by bony

PeelAway 8 does soften antifoul paint so that it can be easily scraped off the hull, but that's not it's only purpose. If you've got a painted deck you want to strip it will do the job, but you have to follow the directions and use the paper supplied with it.

I don't know about black on older boats but boats with black hulls or decks seem to be the fashion nowadays in Australia. They must get uncomfortably hot in the summertime.

Thanks for the link, I missed it in your first reply. Though the product seems similar to the peel away product I'm using, it looks like it may be from a different manufacturer. Mine is manufactured by Drumon. I originally ordered Peel Away Marine stripper. But when I contacted customer support with a question, they told me I didn't need the Marine stripper product unless I was working below the waterline with antifouling paint. One of the three strippers they recommended did work, though the results were very inconsistent. I sent them the attached picture showing the inconsistency, and asked if the Marine stripper might do a better job. I should have a reply tomorrow. The results in that video regarding peel away 8, we're so impressive that I suspect that product might not be available in the US, especially California. Our environmental regulations are pretty tight. I'll look into it, and thanks for the recommendation and input.
Regarding the black deck... I know! Maybe my 1970 Yankee 30 was a boat before its time and is made out of carbon fiber! That would explain why it's so light (not)!😊
I lived in Australia for a while, and the idea of a black boat in Cairns or Port Douglas sounds like paradise!😯 I've always heard that blue or even red hulls are to be discouraged in even semi-tropical environs like Noosa Heads. But BLACK???
Anyway... I digress. Here's a picture of my deck and the inconsistent results.

[Don C L]

I am late to this party but I have been going through something similar on my '62 Columbia. Yes, I don't know why exactly, but under the gelcoat it is black in places. I tried some paint removers with little luck. Going over the boat with a high pressure water blast really got in and took off a lot of the loose paint AND loose gelcoat! Then a sharp chisel turned out to be the best for getting a lot of paint off, but it is slow and you'll build muscles. I agree with Jedi about grinding or wire brushing it down and putting a new non-skid surface on. You can attach the vacuum to the sander and put up some tarps to tent the boat to block the dust, and view, of neighbors. (I did that) The divots I am now smoothing over with white marine tex, west marine sells a house brand. If you get it brushed super clean, marine tex is pretty good about sticking to stuff! Might be the way to prep the non-skid areas.

[David B]

Originally Posted by L124C

I want to strip the one part paint on my deck and replace it with two part. I'm tired of painting it, having it look good for a couple of years, fair for a couple of years, then having to redo it. On the other hand, it's an old boat and I can't justify taking it to a yard to have it done properly.
I can sand the smooth parts, but need a stripper to remove the paint on the molded non-skid surface. I'd like to retain the non-skid surface, and since I'm doing it in the water, removing the non-skid is out of the question anyway.
I've tried Aqua strip and citristrip, and thought I didn't have very good results. It suddenly occurred to me; "How will I know when I get down to gelcoat?" Maybe I'm there! I still.see crazing in the stripped section, but then, that's why the original owner would have painted it in the first place, right?
One photo shows a section that I stripped with a unstripped section below it. The red dots indicate the line between the two sections. The second photo shows a close-up of the stripped section.
Any comments or suggestions would be most welcome, as I'm very close to giving up, and slapping on some one-part again. I really don't want to do that!

Use a paint stripper. There are many out there, but one I know works very well is essentially sodium hydroxide in a gel. It stays active overnight and you just scrub or pressure wash it off in the morning. I assume you are in the states, so no point recommending anything we see here in Australia.

[L124C]

Well... I have to admit defeat!
I worked with all the Dumond products including a sample they sent me, of Peel away 7. The only one that was halfway effective, was Peel Away Pro. And when I say halfway, I'm being generous. Customer support never had an explanation for why the product took the paint off, down to gelcoat in some areas, and left it unscathed 3 inches away.
By the way, the Australian Peel Away product mentioned in this thread is not related to Dumond in any way. I suspect it may be stronger than what we can get in California. However, that doesn't explain why pro worked on some of my deck, but not all of it.
I spent the better part of two weeks trying to find a way to strip the deck. By the time I gave up, I was so burnt out, that I really wasn't in the mood to paint. Ironically, in trying to achieve a good two part paint job, I produced the worst single part paint job of my life! Oh well...it's better than it was, and you can't say I didn't try!

[Don C L]

I have to laugh a bit. I am going through something very similar! Like I say, it's amazing how good your boat looks after you realize how hard it is to go through the work to paint it! Try a sharp chisel on the smooth areas. Sometimes the old paint will pop off the old gel-coat. Take solace in the fact it is getting better, if slowly.

[s/v Jedi]

Sand down to solid gelcoat or fiberglass if the gelcoat is too deteriorated, removing anti-skid as you go. Next use a good epoxy primer like Awlgrip 545, then mask the anti-skid areas and redo that. My option would be a product called “Soft Sand” (check Jamestown Distributors) but there are many options. I would use Awlgrip topcoat with that as well, adding some flattening agent to the final coat.

I know I probably wrote this before, but now that it again shows that other methods are futile, why not do it right the first time and save all the hassle and time wasted?

[briblack]

We put two-part polyurethane over 1-part polyurethane, it didn't lift.