What's on my Bottom???

[Bill Goldsmith]

Now that everyone is done laughing............
I took the opportunity with the "balmy" 45 degree weather today to begin removing old bottom paint (see prior posting with questions about bottom paint) on my 1980 CD27.

This is my first spring with the boat, so I don't know what's on there under the paint. What I found is most confusing.

Just under the outer coat of rather thick brown bottom paint is a creamy white colored layer of what I originally thought was the gelcoat. However, that creamy white layer has brush strokes visible in it, and it covers the entire hull below the water line.

In certain spots, the creamy-white brush stroked layer chipped off (it is very thin), revealing, in some spots, a blue color, and in other spots, roving and/or mat. The creamy white coat is OVER an old red boot stripe (presumably the original). Is that creamy-white layer with the brush strokes in it an old barrier coat? Where is the gel coat? Has someone previously sanded it all away? Is the blue layer what others have described as "blue ooze?" The blue stuff seems to be a dry layer, and it does not ooze. It does not seem like an old layer of paint. It is roughly the color of a "blue tarp." A careful inspection reveals NO BLISTERS, some hairline cracks and some chip-outs that need repairing.

I am guessing that I'll need to do a barrier coat after repairing the chip-outs and dings, because I think the gelcoat was previously sanded into oblivion, with a less than perfect barrier coat previously applied. Do I need to take the whole hull down to fiberglass in order to do a barrier?

What other ideas are out there from the "forensic bottom-painters" on this site??


Thanks for all your help.


Bill Goldsmith
CD27
Second Chance
Croton-on-Hudson, NY



goldy@bestweb.net

[Skip]

Bill

In the early stages of prepping Alosa's (1984 CD 33) hull for a barrier coat treatment I have made similar but not identical observations to yours, Bill.

I'd appreciate hearing any comments from the bulletin board on these two observations as well as on Bill's questions.

1) Beneath my bottom paint is a thin gray (not creamy white) layer above the gel coat. The gel coat is in tact. I question whether the grey may be an early barrier coat layer, so I tested it with Jasco paint remover. The grey layer responds only very slightly and slowly and I can't tell wheher it is not soluble due to composition, as i expect epoxy barrier coat would behave, or the temp is too cold to be effective.
2) There are also small and few patches of the dry blue which resembles spotty bottom paint, but is very thin and also has no ooze. The blue color is as you describe, which I guess is of a "cobalt-ish" hue. So far I also have found no blisters. If the blue is related to the cold weather addition of cobalt during manufacture, does its presence as thin, dry areas imply anything about the associated areas of fiberglass?

Thanks in advance.

Skip



medeiros@bnl.gov

[Donna Delahanty]

Skip wrote:

1) Beneath my bottom paint is a thin gray (not creamy white) layer above the gel coat. The gel coat is in tact. I question whether the grey may be an early barrier coat layer, so I tested it with Jasco paint remover. The grey layer responds only very slightly and slowly and I can't tell wheher it is not soluble due to composition, as i expect epoxy barrier coat would behave, or the temp is too cold to be effective.

Skip,

We applied Inerlux2000e barrier coat to our 25CD after stripping the bottom paint down to the gel coat. The Interlux was light grey in color and being an epoxy would not be affected by paint remover. It sounds as if the grey color you see is a barrier coat.

I don't know what the blue coloring you see is, our boat did not have that.

Donna



maxg@fuse.net