Fall bottom prep

[Jim Walsh]

I always find it easier to prep my bottom for a fresh coat of antifouling in the fall. Even though my bottom appeared perfect, and I use ablative paint, I just don’t want to build up unnecessary coats of antifouling.
I put my winter cover on prior to sanding and lift it as necessary to expose where I’m working. I use a DeWalt 5” orbital sander and 80 grit mesh disks. This year I went over it a second time with 120 grit mesh disks and it’s smooth as silk. The mesh allows the shop vac to gather the dust much more efficiently. My dust mask was nearly as white as the day I first wore it when the task was completed.
Now all I need is one decent day in the spring to roll on a fresh coat of ablative and I’ll be ready to launch.
Come on spring...

[Steve Laume]

I have used mesh for sanding drywall for many years but never even knew it was available in discs. Now that I think of it, there are some circular drywall sanders, so it makes sense that it would be available. Are you buying the stuff at your local hardware store?

I wish I had known about this when I was taking the hull back down to gel coat this fall. I used a vac set up with a Tyvek suit, mask, eye protection and a big fan to blow the residual dust away. I was still a mess at the end of a session. Mesh doesn't tend to load up as quickly as regular sandpaper either.

Sanding to 120 should make a nice smooth surface. I was working with 40 and 60 grit to take off all the bottom paint, in preparation for a new barrier coat. There is nothing so nice as a nice smooth bottom, Steve.

[Jim Walsh]

The mesh discs are just great. They don't clog at all if you have a decent sized vac for good suction. Never does any dust escape, very impressive. I used the Diablo brand from Home Depot. They come with a protection pad too. They are way less expensive than the Mirka or the Festool discs.
I bought a Festool orbital sander for use next year. They are so easy to use, no discernible vibration at all. Almost makes me look forward to doing the job again.
Glad to hear you are making progress on Raven.

[John Stone]

Outstanding work Jim. I’ll take a look at those disks too.

[gates_cliff]

i like these solutions. Curious as to vacuum hook up arrangement. After searching the web I found one post where a guy used sump pump hose. In Jims photo it seems you have two different size hoses, is that right?

I am determined to prep my bottom ( boat's bottom) this fall.

[Jim Walsh]

i like these solutions. Curious as to vacuum hook up arrangement. After searching the web I found one post where a guy used sump pump hose. In Jims photo it seems you have two different size hoses, is that right?

I am determined to prep my bottom ( boat's bottom) this fall.

What you see in the photo is the hose leading from my wet/dry vac which is 2” coupled to the 1” hose for my DeWalt orbital sander. They were mated using a standard soft plumbing sleeve and a plumbing reducer. A couple hose clamps and duct tape held it together. Worked fine for several years.
I now have a Festool brushless r/o sander and a Festool HEPA dust extractor. Near zero vibration, very quiet, and near zero dust. I sand my bottom every fall so for me it was a wise investment.

[John Stone]

Excellent discussion. I use a similar set up. I have mini cyclone that sits between my sander, on a long hose like the one Jim uses, and a standard shop vac. The cycle captures all the paint dust so it never gets to the filter in the shop vac.

I have not tried the mesh discs. I’ll have to take a look at that. After I get the engine on it’s beds I plan to remove the ablative bottom paint to the barrier coat. I’ll reapply barrier coat if needed. Then I plan to try a hard paint for a season then cover it with ablative. Once the ablative wears I still have hard paint I can scrub with the boat in the water all I want till I am ready to haul and apply another coat of ablative.

Concur with Steve—a smooth bottom is very good thing. That’s why I installed the flush through hulls....

I would love a festool. But I manage pretty well with my porter cable DA and a Dewalt RO.

You don’t regret the best tools you can afford. I bet the festool is like a Ferrari....