Today I discovered that you can remove Micron bottom paint using a product called Roll-Off. Roll-Off is a cleaning product that we use on very tough stains. It does a great job of removing stains such as the brown “beard” that you get going down tannic waterways, waterline scum and even stains on clothes.
Anyhow, I tried some today to remove a brown stain on my bottom paint caused by tannic water. I sprayed it on an area by the waterline, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then scrubbed it using a coarse nylon brush. Much to my surprise it stripped the paint to the barrier coat! I have a combination of Micron CSC and Micron Extra on the boat, so I have no idea if this works for other paints. However, this looks like a great alternative to sanding!
Micron Extra/CSC are ablative paints. However, that doesn’t mean that you don’t end up with buildup which needs to be removed. How many coats of paint do you have in some areas?
I decided not to paint the entire bottom this year as due to our non-stop moving last year, the bottom remained very clean and all that needs to be done is to paint the leading edges where it’s worn down. I also have some areas where the adhesion isn’t the best and I want to take them down to the barrier coat and make sure that the surface is correctly prepped.
I go two years between bottom jobs and when I haul the pressure washer gets most of what’s left. Any areas that still have good coverage after that get one coat of new after a quick scuff up and everywhere else gets two coats except the waterline which gets three. I’ve never owned the same boat for over 8 years or so… I guess eventually I’d want to sand off down to the barrier but even at that… you hit that ablative with 80 grit and it’s just gone… poof!
However… having puffed all that out… I’m glad to have another trick up my sleeve. I can see a time in the very near future when sanding off bottom paint won’t be allowed unless you are in a climate controlled barn with a waterfall filter system. So thanks.
Geoff,
Are you talking about Roll-Off or On-Off? We use both, the latter for cleaning gunge off the water line and the heaviest of stains anywhere else. Roll-Off, however is the best one I’ve found so far for general cleaning and spot removal.
I’m talking about Roll-Off. I reserve the use of On-Off to a product of last resort. Any product that fumes when opened can’t be good on your paint/gel coat, etc.
I agree, On-Off is pretty caustic stuff but it’s the only thing I’ve found so far that cleans the really tough garbage off the waterline. It did not give me problems with gel coat and a good rinse as directed clears it. I didn’t realize Roll-Off took off bottom paint as well as tannin though. That’s good to know. We’re heading down the ditch soon and I already have one mustache, I don’t need two.
Thanks,
Pete
Well it has been a 7 months since you made this post; did you ever get around to trying the Roll-off on the entire bottom?
My F21 has not had its bottom painted in over ten years which, for a trailer sailor, is no big deal. I will, however, be moving her to a wet slip in the next couple of months for the winter race series at my club. That being the case I need to strip the remaining vestiges and repaint the bottom.
I am trying to decide between VC17 and Micron Extra. I sail on a freshwater lake and both are used at my club. No one seems to be able to tell me why to use one over the other. Any opinion or should I just go for the best price?
I tried the “Roll-Off” and the other product and it still left years of bottom paint. Power washing took a bit more. Still was pretty rough shape. I took a DA sander with extra fine grit and it took most off. Now the qestion is, did I remove the “barrier coat” in th process?
If so, must a new one be applied immediately?
JP
