Removal of bottom paint?

[Scott06]

I have a 2004 Sea Ray 200 sport. I bought it six years ago, previous owner had applied black bottom paint as it was slip kept in brackish water. Boat was rarely used as it only had 38 hours on it, Knucklehead didn’t winterize it so I bought it as a handyman special.

The bottom paint looks to of been properly applied with primer maybe two topcoats thick and rough like under coating. I keep the boat on a freshwater lake in a hoist , so I have no need for bottom paint and don’t particularly care for the way it looks.

Is there any advantage to going through the cost and labor of removing it? Or am I just barking up the wrong tree and gonna waste my time and empty my wallet? Does the bottom paint significantly lower top speed?

 

[Scott Danforth]

so I have no need for bottom paint and don’t particularly care for the way it looks.

Having removed the bottom paint myself, unless you are restoring the boat, I would recommend enjoying it as is. I also think AD removed his.

Is there any advantage to going through the cost and labor of removing it? Or am I just barking up the wrong tree and gonna waste my time and empty my wallet? Does the bottom paint significantly lower top speed?

methods of removal include:

• 40 grit and 80 grit on a DA and plenty of beer and time
• paying someone to sand it off.
• pay someone to either soda blast, dry-ice blast, or walnut shell blast

then you need to re-finish the bottom as part of applying the bottom paint was to rough up the gel with 40 grit to get the barrier coat to stick

 

[alldodge]

If paint is smooth then its just looks your dealing with. Mine wasn't smooth and I wanted to make it look good also, so paid to have it removed and I painted it with white epoxy

 

[Scott06]

If paint is smooth then its just looks your dealing with. Mine wasn't smooth and I wanted to make it look good also, so paid to have it removed and I painted it with white epoxy

Thanks for replys, did you see any difference in performance after removal?

 

[Scott06]

I would recommend enjoying it as is.

most likely where ill end up… have done plenty of body resto work but never upside down on my back

 

[alldodge]

Thanks for replys, did you see any difference in performance after removal?

No, but I'm also a 10k lb boat

 

[alldodge]

No, but I'm also a 10k lb boat

Fog cleared and yes I did get a boost in speed. This was after my repower and was running Hill marine B3 4x4 at 22 pitch. After the repaint I started to overrev and put 3 blade 26 pitch. Think WOT was 47 mph and gained about 2 mph. So not much boost

 

[zool]

I removed mine with 100 grit, the gel would have been buffable if it werent for the gouges near the keel. Took longer but gel burn thru was minimalized.




was 4 layers of 2 colors.



Full face mask and tyvek suit

 

[Scott Danforth]

agree on the full face mask and the tyvek will be dependent on temp.

this was me after sanding for 6 hours in October of 2018. I used 40 grit to get the majority of the bottom paint, and when it was just a grey haze, used the 80 grit. to go the rest. probably could have brought the gel back with buffing, however was spraying the whole boat.

 

[Scott06]

Fog cleared and yes I did get a boost in speed. This was after my repower and was running Hill marine B3 4x4 at 22 pitch. After the repaint I started to overrev and put 3 blade 26 pitch. Think WOT was 47 mph and gained about 2 mph. So not much boost

Ok thats what i was thinking 2-4 mph loss. Mine is rough as hell. Its a 21 ft 3400 lb bowrider. I bought it with a cracked 4.3 low hours except for engine was in perfect shape. I put in a 5.0 partial engine from Michigan Motorz, essentially a new base engine with Edelbrock 1409 (in theory 260 hp rated) kept the 1.81 drive just stepped up from 19” to 21” pitch, settled on a revolution 4 really works great. Primary use is water sports with my kids and their friends, it janks me (285 lbs) up on skis or wakeboard with ease.

my best top speed is 48 mph , rev 4 out pulled an enertia by 1-2 mph due ability of Rev 4 to trim out more. I figured Id pay to have it blasted off and repaint it, more technical curiosity and hate the way it looks than anything else