Re: Soda blast or not?
I'm currently in the midst of a similar project on my 34. The paint on mine had the same description as yours- some peeling some tight, lots of layers.
Originally I was going to have the marina blast my hull. They are a certified "Clean Marina" and ONLY do it in the early spring here because their permit only allows a few weeks each year for blasting. In my case, the recession forced me to cancel the work and do it myself.
Here's my story:
I tried chemical stripper (Peel-Away) but it only took off about half the layers and was way too expensive, so after some experimenting I found that a dull razor scraper would remove all layers with meduim pressure. You're right- it's NO FUN. I worked for 7 straight days, 10-14 hours each day to get it clean. LOTS of effort but the cost was minimal. I discovered the original gelcoat had never been prep-sanded, which I believe was the root of my problem. My boat is 25 years old BTW.
This past weekend I completely sanded the bottom with a vibrating pad sander and 60 grit paper. The marina owner told me most people don't use heavy enough sandpaper and 60 worked well. I tried emery cloth but for some reason it didn't cut nearly as well as the paper. It's now perfectly white with no sign of bottom paint!
My next job is to fill and fair any hull imperfections. I'll be using Marine-Tex. With any luck this step will be done in 1 weekend and ready for the epoxy barrier coat, which requires a very specific procedure to get it right.
After the barrier coat, I plan to apply 2 coats of alabative antifouling paint (Pettit Ultma SR). With good weekend weather I hope to be in the water by (or just after) Memorial Day.
I never plan on doing this again, that's for sure!
