Removal of Barrier Coat

[Timmay]

Hi everyone,
As you can see from the pic below, my West Systems Barrier Coat is rough and needs to be removed. Can anyone explain the best way to remove it? Thanks Timmay!!!

[Divecoz]

done

[Timmay]

I went to their website and did not see any instructions or chemicals for removal.
I do have a 2000 psi pressure washer, should I just use that to take as much off as possible then wet sand after that?
What grit should I use for the finish?
Sorry for so many questions, I have never worked with fiberglass before. Timmay!!!

[Paul S]

If it is an epoxy finish, it will be hard to remove (kinda the point of putting it on in the first place).

Mechanical (sanding, etc) is the only way I know to remove it. Most chemical paint removers won't work well. May soften it, but wont remove it.

If it were me, I would put another barrier coat and bottom paint it again! a LOT easier I think!

[Timmay]

Thanks Paul,
The only problem I see with that is that the coat that is on there seems to be very bumpy to me. Should barrier coat have the texture of an orange or should it be smooth? Timmay!!!

[Divecoz]

.

[jcasale]

Barrier coat will be "bumpy" or looked orange peeled unless you spray it on. I completed the Interlux Protect system over the winter and bottom coated on top of that. I rolled both paints on and both were exactly like you describe. Find out when the PO applied the barrier paint before you destroy it by trying to remove it; odds are it is still good. If so, roll another layer on to reinforce what you have and then bottom coat it.

John

[Paul S]

Barrier coat will be "bumpy" or looked orange peeled unless you spray it on. I completed the Interlux Protect system over the winter and bottom coated on top of that. I rolled both paints on and both were exactly like you describe. Find out when the PO applied the barrier paint before you destroy it by trying to remove it; odds are it is still good. If so, roll another layer on to reinforce what you have and then bottom coat it.

John

Sprayed on - Got to love it! I hope the storage place will let me spray the bottom paint on, like the previous ownwer did. But yes. get it as smooth as possible - recoat barrier, recoat. Im sure if the barrier coat is removed, some gelcoat will come with it...then the bottom will have to be recoated with gelcoat. But get any and all loose barrier coat off regardless of the path taken. Good luck!

Sprayed epoxy barrier coat and bottom paint:

[c130king]

According to the PO I have 4 coats of an epoxy barrier paint. I have pressure washed the hull three or four times with a fairly high PSI pressure washer. Water is not going to remove that barrier coat. It definitely has the texture of an orange. But mine is white and blends pretty well with the white gel coat above the water line.

But when I left it in the water for 8 weeks once I got quite a growth of small barnacles and green slime. Someday, if in a location where I can keep the boat in the water for a lengthy period, I may just apply an anti-fouling paint right on top of the barrier coat.

I say paint over your current barrier paint with some more barrier paint.

FWIW.

Cheers,
Jim

[Rob S]

Yes, rolled on epoxi barrier coat has an "orange peel" surface consistency. Any epoxi dries hard and tough..... pressure washing will do nothing if it was properly applied in the first place. Sanding will smooth it down and/or remove it but you need to be careful....... you will easily go through it to the gel coat, and a scratched up gel coat is just asking to set off osmotic blistering.... exactly what the PO was using the barrier coat to prevent in the first place!

I agree with the others who advise applying MORE barrier coat then sanding (or just live with it as it is).

I did extensive work on my to get a smooth bottom. When I bought it 3 years ago it had an extensive rash of little pimples. I was able to sand them out but needed to protect from further blistering. I used Interprotect 2000, but epoxi is epoxi and I'm sure the West Systems is just as good. I applied about 5 layers and noted the orange peel surface. Growing impatient as the season was starting, I applied an ablative bottom paint (Micron Extra) on top of that. The end result was very rough! I just lived with it until this year. I decided to remove the ablative and use smooth Interlux VC-17 bottom paint instead.

Here's where it is similar to your situation...... sanding was the only way to get the ablative off, and I had to get it all off because it's incompatible with the VC-17. But the point is that there were a few place where I went through the barrier coat down to the gel coat, it's very difiicult not to. After that, I put on a further 8 layers of epoxi. Why so many?...... because when sanding afterwards you will be removing most of the upper layers to get a smooth finish.

This is a LOT of work. You might prefer to just leave it as it is and accept that a protected rough bottom is better than an unprotected smooth bottom. If you do want to do the work, to add further layers of epoxi to older cured epoxi, you need to rough it up with 80 grit paper, then apply your layers. For sanding I used an orbital sander with vacuum attachment and used a succession of 80 then 120 then 220 papers. I finished off wet sanding with 400. I was very pleased with the results but it was a long hard job.

Final tip: it helps to use a different colored epoxi to the one already on your boat.... if you sand through it, you will know. In your case, if you sand through to yellow, you will know to go no further. If you see blue, you've blown it!

[Russ]

Hi everyone,
As you can see from the pic below, my West Systems Barrier Coat is rough and needs to be removed. Can anyone explain the best way to remove it? Thanks Timmay!!!

That picture looks like a dirty bottom to me. Kind of what our boat looked like when we pulled it this weekend.
I would power wash it and/or scrub it with some detergent and a stiff brush. Then step back and look at it. As mentioned, if the barrier coat was applied with a roller, just like house paint it will have an orange peel surface. I suppose you could sand it smooth, just be careful not to sand too far.

[Divecoz]

.

[Bob McLellan]

I remember reading some place that a smooth surface actually gripes the hull and a rough surface breaks the hold of the water as vortex generators do on an airplane wing. So, are we looking for rough or smooth surfaces when moving through water?

[bastonjock]

the dimples on a golf ball make it go further,so will an oranage peel hull be better for speed?

[Timmay]

OK Timmay....... Is it Yellow lake scum or yellow barrier paint? That question is causing a difference in opinion on what to do .

Nah, thats yellow barrier coat. The white/grey areas are where it has worn off. Timmay!!!