soda blasting

S

steve mcguire

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Has anyone had there hull soda blasted??? if so were you satisfied with the result?
 
I have seen several done and they all came out great! If the price is right I would recommend it if it's needed.
 
We just had ours completed. Started last fall in September, shrink wrapped boat to cut down on dust mess. Bottom blasted. Sat all winter to dry out. April 2012, bottom was sanded and repairs to nicks or blisters. With the time and cost of this project. We preferred to use all Interlux products.Inter-protect 2000 for primer and Offshore VC. Power boat 45 ft 15ft beam = $4,750.00
What we got for our money, removed 17 years of bottom paint. Lots of uneven areas. Now hull very smooth. Wet sanded with 600 grit. Flow scans indicate 12% to 14% improvement in fuel
economy. We do alot of cruising. Pay back in 2 years. Friends boat paint job 7 years old, looks like brand new. Very satisified. I would not tackle this job, spend your money. Back breaking job, nasty. Lots of hours.

Ron
 
the results are directly proportional to the skill level of the operator. its the right product to quickly strip large build up and leave the gel coat in tact but.........only with a skilled operator. generally speaking soda is a better medium than sand if you are trying to leave the gel coat in tact.
 
Thanks for the info. Boat is 18 years old and this was a project I would like to do over the winter.
 
I had it done on the Viking. Very satisfied with the results. It was the least expensive part of the process when you consider barrier coat, bottom paint and any repairs necessary. I was paying the yard and did none of it myself.

Luckily I only had an old patch that had to be replaced.
 
I got a quote of about $1300 for my Trojan 36, that seem reasonable? Sounded high until I started sanding.
 
i've redone the bottoms on both our first and current boats.

13 years of build-up on the first one, a 27 ft express with 8.5 ft beam. after 15 hours of chemical peels, sanding, and scraping i realized i was only about a quarter of the way done. couldn't afford soda blasting, so i hired two day laborers who finished stripping it in a day. did the same thing with our current boat, a 32 ft flybridge with a 12 ft beam. total cost for removal of each boat was about $250. afterwards, i did barrier coats (3 layers) and anti-fouling (2 layers of ablative) myself. huge difference in performance and fuel usage of both boats after the bottom jobs.

if you have the boat somewhere where you can bring in laborers, this may be a viable option. still expensive for the paints, but that's boating.
 
Had the bottom blasted on my 2005 Silverton 34C, cost was $1195, boat is almost 38' with a 13'10" beam, Barrier coat and paint from Defender was $900, and the yard labor for sanding after soda blast, repair of 2 blisters, and 7 coats of barrier coat and paint combined was $1300.
my $.02
Mike
 
Hi Mike I bought a 2004 34C in 04 and loved that boat. I sold it and bought a 42C. Wish I kept the 34C. Nothing like a brand new boat. Thanks for the info. Steve
 
quote:
Originally posted by steve mcguire

Hi Mike I bought a 2004 34C in 04 and loved that boat. I sold it and bought a 42C. Wish I kept the 34C. Nothing like a brand new boat. Thanks for the info. Steve

Click to expand...


Actually, I sold that boat :)
 
Those prices sound high for my local market, but prices vary based on where you are. Personally I would have it done by Fein Vacuum sanding instead. Goes very quickly, makes no mess at all and very low risk. I swear my 48 was done in no more than 10-12 man hours.

Is this not an option on the right coast? I don't hear it talked about much, but around here nobody hardly even considers anything else anymore.
 
I will look into it. Thanks. And yes Walter did sell my boat. What the hell was I thinking????
 
I have read reports of bad results with soda blasting so I think it's important to use someone who has experience removing bottom paint from boats and someone who can show you examples of his work and happy customers.

If you're having it done, and importantly if you're doing it yourself, remember that the paint that's removed and any used media is toxic waste and must be contained and disposed of properly. Anyone doing the work or supervising should be wearing disposable protective clothing and proper breathing protection.
 
quote:
Originally posted by steve mcguire

Hi Mike I bought a 2004 34C in 04 and loved that boat. I sold it and bought a 42C. Wish I kept the 34C. Nothing like a brand new boat. Thanks for the info. Steve

Click to expand...


At least here anyway, blasting prices are vastly different if you bring the boat to the blaster or the blaster comes to you.

In your case, the latter is the only option. Which means, your boat yard will have to be onboard with this.

This is where I ran into a big big problem. My yard "required" the blaster met their standards, which meant I could only use their blaster, which meant they were kicking back a piece to the boatyard.

For a 30' boat I was quoted 10K for blasting, prep, barrier, and paint (quote was not itemized). I passed and did it the old fashion way - 4" scraper and RO sander.

Check with your yard first and if they are a PITA, find a different yard to winter at that will cooperate with the project.
 
A boat yard can be held responsible for what happens on its property including polution, hazzardous materials entering the environment, and it can be held liable for accidents and injuries to workers, other boats, and boat owners and guests.

This is the reason many boat yards and marinas limit the work that can be done on boats by owners or outside contractors. Not all boat yards and marinas have this policy but many do and more are doing it as they begin to understand their liability risks.
 
I have 32 years of build up on mine. I might get this done this winter. Sounds worth the $$$.
 
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