heat gun paint removal

[Pat McD]

I have several layers of peeling and cracked paint to remove inside the cabin of my Seasprite. I have been using a scaper and sander and now considering the use of a heat gun.
I read somewhere, and should have saved it, about concerns with using heat guns on the exterior gelcoat. Would this be the same for the interior paint? My boat is also a cored deck, any issues with applying heat to remove the paint and impact on the core?

Thanks

Pat McD

[Tim]

Heat guns can blow extremely hot air depending on the setting: hot enough to potentially damage gelcoat, fiberglass laminates, polyester and epoxy resins, and so forth. It can happen quickly, and without your necessarily knowing you've caused damage.

So the name of the game, if you decide to use heat to remove your paint, is caution. Don't use any more heat than you need to, and avoid getting things too hot.

Careful heating can help solve myriad problems, but heat can become a bad thing very quickly. So be careful and conservative to avoid creating a worse problem than the one you're trying to solve.

Typically, I find that peeling and loose paint succumb easily to coarse-grit sanding discs. But sanding has its own issues, so each individual must find the system that works best for them--a balance of time, effectiveness, cost, and collateral damage potential.

Good luck.

[Pat McD]

Tim,

Thanks for the advice and caution. Sounds like the old sanding with mask, goggles and paper suit, while time consuming, may be the safer way to go. The sooner I get this job done the sooner I can get my boat closer to the water.

Pat McD

P.S. -Great forum..

[Summersdawn]

Tim,

Thanks for the advice and caution. Sounds like the old sanding with mask, goggles and paper suit, while time consuming, may be the safer way to go. The sooner I get this job done the sooner I can get my boat closer to the water.

Pat McD

P.S. -Great forum..

I'm not sure how much time a heat gun would save you anyways - typically it takes longer than expected (at least for me), and then things need sanding afterwards.

Don't be afraid to use really aggressive sandpaper initially either.

[Rachel]

Don't be afraid to use really aggressive sandpaper initially either.

Good point, Rick. I always find myself initially resistant to using a really coarse grade, but have learned to talk myself into it before I start :)

When we used to patch kayaks, we had something that must have been like 20-grit discs - it was like individual rocks glued to the paper. (But then we weren't very concerned with aesthetics.)

And welcome to the forum, Pat! Can we see some photos of your Sea Sprite?

[Pat McD]

Rachel,

Thanks for the advice and here is a picture of Azul, a 23' SeaSprite daysailer, with her previous owners. This was taken back in 2000 when she was first lauched up here in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. She sailed the St Marys River up until 2003 and then sat on a trailer until I purchased her in April.

I have posted a lot of other pictures of Azul on my photobucket.com site "patmcd1955" documenting her repairs. By repairs, so far, I mean gutting the cabin and sanding the cabin interior. Next steps will be to replace the rotted portion of the cabin's companionway ( I think this is the right term for the bulkhead leading into the cabin???). Then it is on to installing new berths.

If you check my pictures you will see that at some point an owner filled the first four feet of the bow with foam. Unfortunately the lower third of the plywood bulkhead was rotted so I cut out most of the bulkhead to get a look at the foam. Supprisingly enough it was all dry. I plan to put up a false bulkhead just for easthetics for a year just to keep an eye on this part of the boat. I don't think closed cell foam was used as some of the foam removed from the berths was waterlogged. I've had a softball size chunk taken from the boat submerged in a pail of water for the past month and at this point about an 1/8" of the outer layer has water soaked into it. I want to get the boat back to full floatation and plan on filling the berths with closed cell foam and depending on the cost may decide to remove the foam in the bow and replace it as well. As for the foam in the stern of the boat it may be there for the long haul.

Anyway that is just some of the challenges before me as I work to get Azul back to the water were she belongs.



Pat McD

[Rachel]

Ah, thanks for the photo. I love that rendition of the Sea Sprite 23 - I'm a sucker for any boat wherein the mast goes right down to deck level (vs. terminating on the coach roof).

A couple of years ago, Tim M. (who's still on the forum but with a different boat) bought a Pearson Ariel on which the PO had filled the entire bilge with foam (right Tim?). Falls into the "what where they thinking?" category.

Rachel

[Pat McD]

Rachel,

Sorry to disappoint you, but the mast on the Seasprite daysailer does end on the coach roof and not the deck. The headsail in the picture I posted was blocking the view of the base of the mast. If its any consolation the weekender version of this boat has the mast sitting on the deck.

The other location I have soaked foam is in the hollow section of the keel. I appears a PO filled this area of the keel under the cockpit sole with foam then glassed it in. I had noticed water seeping near the foot of the rudder on the keel so I drilled into the cockpit bilge area to find soaked foam. Before cutting open this area in the cockpit bilge I will install a drain in the keel and see how much water comes out. Just one of many tasks to do before she sees the water.

Pat McD

[Rachel]

Oops! Well she's still darned cute :)