[623971]

Got a question for anyone willing to answer. How hard would it be to take a boat that has bottom paint on it right now, take that paint off and make the boat look like it never had paint on the bottom. Is this possible? and if so, how could i go about doing so? All ideas are greatly taken into consideration. Thanks everyone

 

[proline]

My best suggestion would be to browse Interlux.com Their web site is quite informative. They recommend 3 methods:1)sandblasting--done by a professional; 2)sanding--again done by someone with experience, not necessarily your boat yard and certainly not yourself if you have no experience (you can ruin the gelcoat); 3)a chemical stripper--best bet for a non-professional. They recommend a product called Interlux Stripper 299 (I believe). All methods are either expensive (1) or labor intensive (2&3). By the way, I'm not sure if you can ever get the hull to look as if paint was never applied. I'd be curious to know that answer myself. In closing, you don't state the size of your boat. Personally, I would much rather tackle this if I had a small boat than a big one. In this case - size matters. Good luck.

 

[614048]

If your'e looking for a gain in speed, it may be worth the sizeable effort involved to do this. First though try just sanding, it may get the speed increase you are looking for.

If your'e doing it for appearance, keep in mind that when you are using your boat no one other than the fishes can see the bottom.

 

[Capt. Bill]

I take it you are not leaving the boat in the water. Depending on the type of paint on the bottom, it will wear off all by itself over time. Ablative paints prevent the adhhesion of marine life by wearing slowly away.
Check the Interlux site as Proline said, but my advice? Leave it there, sand it smooth periodically and if it's an ablative it may gradually go away. By the way, you will never be able to make it look like it's never been on, without very costly cosmetic work. Leave it alone.