remove antifoul paint

[nicthebass]

I have a Shetland 535. It seems to have many layers of antifoul paint on it which now need to be removed .
Doing this job manually will take more a lot of time ..... Someone has suggested getting it shot blasted , is this a good idea?
I understand that it is important not to remove the gel coat.
Any thoughts please.

[daveflack]

Hi Nichtebass, have you considered using a pressure/steam washer, pending on type of antifoul it might wash off. sand/shot blast will do it easy but it can leave a lot of mess around your boat unless it's done in a controlled area. Cheers magic.

[Clive]

I had a similar problem some years ago on a previous boat. Reading the warnings online I decided not to do it! Older antifoul can be fatal if ingested. It is very toxic - which is the basis of how it works, so getting it into the ground or water courses is a nightmare for the environment. Protective clothing, gloves and top quality breathing masks/aparatus. Shot blasting spreads the risk to anyone nearby and if breezy it could travel a good distance. My current boat is quite thick with it but I don't worry!

I think what I'm saying is read up on it and make sure you are fully protected - moves are afoot to have it removed from sale to the public so it must be nasty stuff. https://www.sailingtoday.co.uk/practical/antifoul-risk/

[nicthebass]

Thank you for your replies , much appreciated. Many coats of antifoul have already have been slapped on previous ones so I'd like to strip it back to something the antifoul will stick to. However I don't want to spend hours under the boat scraping the stuff off.....

[dellquay13]

I had a similar problem some years ago on a previous boat. Reading the warnings online I decided not to do it! Older antifoul can be fatal if ingested. It is very toxic - which is the basis of how it works, so getting it into the ground or water courses is a nightmare for the environment. Protective clothing, gloves and top quality breathing masks/aparatus. Shot blasting spreads the risk to anyone nearby and if breezy it could travel a good distance. My current boat is quite thick with it but I don't worry!

I think what I'm saying is read up on it and make sure you are fully protected - moves are afoot to have it removed from sale to the public so it must be nasty stuff. https://www.sailingtoday.co.uk/practical/antifoul-risk/

I think that article may be a few years old and a bit out of date.
Mention of the HSE following EU guidance is not going to be recent.
I remember a lot being made of H&S and diy A/F about 4 years ago, but it seems to have gone quiet for a few years, and traditional A/F is as common as ever on sea going boats, even though a few big companies have introduced Eco alternatives

[Clive]

Quite possibly! I do however remember reading some time ago that breathing the dust and contact with skin can be fatal. No mention of repeated contact, so I’m very careful with anti foul. Let’s face it, its only function is to kill any animal or plant that comes into contact with it in the water!
In my previous house the block paving under the boat was like new - a boat shape on an otherwise much darker paved area. Served as a good reminder.

[nicthebass]

I need to replace the cabin door for my Shetland 535. Does anyone have any ideas on this, a quick easy option ?

[blebrocq]

Pre- made slatted wardrobe door ? cut down to suit.
Bob

[dconnx]

I made replacement doors and deck with plywood ("weather proof board" sometimes referred to as "marine ply" but I don't think there is any truth in that). It was over Covid so I was lucky to be able to buy anything at all. I used a router to edge the doors and cut the channels in the deck and then varnished it all. It worked out OK I think (and I have zero experience in woodwork but I do like an excuse to buy a powertool ). I don't have any good pictures of the doors but I think they worked out ok - I replaced the hinges with ones I purchased from a marine supply store and used pop rivets on the fibreglass side. I also purchased a nice stainless door catch from the same place.

Doors: https://compute.eolas.io/boat/boat_doors.jpg
Deck: https://compute.eolas.io/boat/boat_floor_plywood.jpg
Cabin: https://compute.eolas.io/boat/boat_cabin.jpg

[blebrocq]

Nice floor in the cabin !
Bob