Ablative paint re-activate

pstew96

pstew96

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Is it true that you can reactivate ablative paint by just sanding with 220 sand paper and then it would be unnecessary to repaint? My friend has a huge boat and I think maybe it would be better to sand it/ reactivate rather than keep building up layer after layer, what do you think?
 
No idea if it would "re-activate".

That said, Ablative means that the desired action ot derives from the paint falling off. Sanding it to level the surface, then adding a layer of fresh ablative paint would be my choice.

Seek other opinions; YMMN IMHO. ( etc )
 
I would rather put another coat on than sand that stuff - the dust is brutal, I think I still have black spots on my body from 15 years ago. But once I switched to ablative I never touched sandpaper to the hull again. Unlike hard paint, with ablative you don’t need to sand it, if there is still paint, it is still active.

Best solution is to put a base/signal coat of one color ( I used blue) and then cover it with a coat of another color ( I used black) . Haul it every winter, power wash it, and touch it up only where it wore away enough that the blue is showing. No sanding, no massive buildup, and no bare hull spots.
 
Need to make sure you use a “multi-season” ablative paint if you pull your boat for the winter. It will reactivate when you put the boat back in. Single season will not. I put a quick coat on the entire hull every 3 years and above the water for appearance every year. I like to rough it up a bit with a quick pass with a pole sander and #60 paper to remove any chipping paint before I paint. Wear a dust mask, stuff is nasty. Tape it off with painters tape and use a roller. Throw away everything including your clothing at the end.
Jim
 
We’ve come a long way (in terms of human safety) from tributyltin, but I still wouldn’t want to huff that dust. If you need to knock down an ablative paint buildup, a half decent pressure washer will do the trick with no dust.

The ban on TBT was stupid, though. People freaked out because it killed anything that tried to grow in contact with it. THAT WAS THE POINT!
 
If it reactivates once back into the water, then why does it tell you to get the boat into the water before sixty days? Im thinking once the paint gets to old/dried because of being out of water, then maybe its just no good anymore and a sanding will expose new copper but it will only be the one layer. What do you think?
 
Sounds like your friend has the wrong paint on his boat. If you are going to be hauling for extended times, as 32carv said, you should use a multi-season ablative.

I generally used West Marine CPP, which doesn't have any specifications about how long it can be out of the water - and mentions "Out of water storage will not reduce antifouling effectiveness"
 
quote:
Originally posted by alk

Sounds like your friend has the wrong paint on his boat. If you are going to be hauling for extended times, as 32carv said, you should use a multi-season ablative.

I generally used West Marine CPP, which doesn't have any specifications about how long it can be out of the water - and mentions "Out of water storage will not reduce antifouling effectiveness"

Click to expand...


Great to know, he just bought this boat and the bottom looks clean and we have no idea what a re-coat would cost, expect a ton of money though...thanks!
 
"...tell you to get the boat into the water before sixty days? Im thinking once the paint gets to old/dried because of being out of water, then maybe its just no good anymore and a sanding will expose new copper but it will only be the one layer. What do you think?"

It needs to stay wet. If it dries out it will shed in flakes and in general fail to stay on the hull. It is designed to "fail, in a controlled fashion" As long as it stays in contact with water, it "powders off". Dry it out and it will come off in flakes/sheets.
 
The paint on my two boats and for the most part, 99% is still sound. So I thinks a touchup of the chipped areas is all it should need, I could have sworn I read on the paint can that you had 60 days, now I can't find it anywhere!
 
Not all ablative paints have that statement... Some are designed for boats that are trailered, or regularly hauled out. Others are for boats that spend their lives in the water. Those would have the statement.
 
Some ablative paints are single season and some are multiseason. Need to know what kind of paint is there now. Some types the copper leaches out with prolonged out of water periods. With those types, just because paint remains doesn't mean there is any anti fouling properties left.
 
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