Windrifter

As we all know bottom paint build up has plagued boat owners for a long time. One method we use at Portland Yacht Services to strip bottom paint is Soda Blasting: a revolutionary application that strips paint from boats with no damage to the integrity of the substrate (gelcoat). We originally began this project with a signed estimate to remove bottom paint build up; however when we got into the Soda Blasting portion of the job we discovered a serious blister problem. After consulting with the customer it was decided that we needed to power-plane the bottom; which is a more aggressive approach of repair that involves removing gelcoat and fiberglass. We begin by doing several test areas to determine how much product needs to be removed in order to establish a good workable surface. Once this is determined the entire bottom is then planned. Next we determine if we need to put back any of the fiberglass we removed. On this particular job no fiberglass was needed to be put back. Instead five coats of vinylester resin were applied to the bottom to seal the open fiberglass. After the resin is applied and sanded smooth an epoxy barrier coat is then applied as preparation for bottom paint. It is recommended to apply a (hard paint) flag coat of bottom paint which would be a different color than the final color so to warn you when it is time to apply more bottom paint. The final application of bottom paint should be an (ablative type), which erodes slowly to prevent bottom paint build up.