Hull Prep For Bottom Paint

[Ken Krawford]

It has been suggested to me that I can prep my boat for bottom painting with a Scotch Brite pad.  I have a Dewalt polisher and wondered if there is a Scotch Brite type of product that could be used with it.  The polishing pad I have is 8" and the thought of "sanding" the bottom with an 8" abrasive vs. a 5 inch sander is very appealing.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

[Roger Blake]

It depends on what you are trying to do...and what is on your bottom. If you are just trying to prep your bottom for another layer of similar/compatabile paint, then I would recommend using 60 grit sand paper to remove any loose/damaged bottom coat...then a rinse with water and then a rinse with solvent compatabile with your bottom coat. If you are changing your bottom coat and don't know what is currently applied...best to remove it all and start over. Starting over is a lot of work...been there, done that...don't want to do it again. If you have more details you can provide...like what is on the bottom, what you want to apply, etc., I'm sure others can give you more direction. If you know what is on your bottom, and are replacing similar, I'd still recommend 60 grit sanding and cleaning with the appropriate solvent in order to allow the new coat to grip the old.

[Ken Krawford]

Roger - the hull currently has Petit Trinidad SR on it and I'm applying the same product over it.