Antifoul Removal – How to Free Boats from Bottom Paint

Remove antifouling yourself

Everybody who did it before knows: Removing antifouling is laborious work. You also need a lot of patience. But it is necessary when the antifouling on the bottom of the boat looks rough as guts with excessive layer buildup, cratering, peeling, flaking, or blisters appearing across the hull. You can’t wait any longer but have to remove antifouling yourself. Of course you can always hire a professional to remove the antifouling for you. Whether you do the latter or choose to do the antifoul removal yourself, it isimportant to be aware of the steps involved as well as the best practice guidelines of your local waterway. Different antifouling paints require different care, and it also affects how often you need to remove antifouling or even whether you do at all.

在本文中，您可以了解从船只中删除的步骤。

---

Old bottom paint removal in three steps

If your boat hasantifouling paint protection，你可能需要经历一段时间后剥离防污的费力过程。在拆除防污后，您的船只最终会更好地保护生物污染。此外，底部涂料拆除将让您看到剥离的船船体的状况，即弱防污涂料可能已经隐藏。

Though the act of removing antifouling paint is huge and nasty, removing antifouling paint can be broken down into three simple steps:

1. Preparation
2. Removal
3. Clean Up

This should be conducted at licensed vessel maintenance facilities with washdown facilities that collects residues and run off.

Not every type of antifouling paint is compatible.Whether the antifouling paint is hard or eroding will affect the frequency of the removal antifouling paint.

---

1. Preparation and safety precaution before antifoul removal

Like anything to do with coating, preparation is a key aspect of the job. To adequately set-up for removing old antifouling paint you must:

1. Wear PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) such as goggles, dust mask, gloves, and overall to cover bare skin at all times.
2. Ensure the area in which you are working is well ventilated.
3. 不要在刮风周围的防污涂料作为从船体中除去的材料需要收集和包含，以避免污染和污染环境。刮擦/砂土防污涂料的灰尘是有毒的。使用无尘的真空砂光机。
4. If working on a slipway, lay out drop cloths and tarpaulins or bunds to catch liquid and solid wastes and prevent antifoul scrapings, drips and spills from entering any water or nearby drains.

---

2. Antifoul Removal How to DIY

This part is where the labour comes in. There are three methods for the DIY bottom paint removal: sanding wet and/or scraping manually, chemical stripping and antifoul removal by soda blasting.

1. Sanding手动湿和刮擦 - 这种方法相当不言自明。使用粗砂纸（80砂纸）和/或刮刀（扁平叶片，三角形，电气或其他），手动从船底部拆下防污涂料。使用砂纸时，建议用湿砂纸擦拭涂层 - 这使灰尘的空中分布保持在最低限度。亚搏手机登录主页版对于刮刀，始终具有备用刀片，避免刮擦底层基板，围绕角落。这是最便宜的拆除选项，也是最多的劳动力密集型。
2. Chemical stripping– Using a chemical stripper on the antifouling takes some of the grunt out of the work, but it also increases the amount of toxic waste material. And not all chemical strippers are suitable for the purpose – always check the instructions and, if still uncertain, consult with a specialist.
3. Soda blasting– This involves blasting the hull with soda, which explodes when it hits the surface and takes the paint with it. This is the method with the least effort but it is slower, and does create a lot of clean up – you can only use blasting methods if the appropriate screening and containment is available.

---

3. Cleaning up residue after antifoul removal

The marina, boatyard, or club will have outlined specific rules for the collection and disposal of all residues, solid coatings, liquid or any other form of waste (including any biofouling you may have removed). Antifouling paints should not be incinerated. If you have taken care with the preparation stage, the clean up stage should be much easier. Essentially所有污染物和污染物都需要遏制并远离:

• Any body of water
• Stormwater
• Land below the high-water mark
• Any tidal body of water

There are a number of guidelines and regulations which apply when it comes to polluting matter and controlled waters, and you need to be aware of the laws in your local area.

---

Final thoughts about antifouling paint removal

尽管它绝对是最昂贵的选项,having a trained professional remove antifouling from your vessel is still the best way to go in terms of the quality and assurance of the final job. It is also the best way to ensure that local regulations regarding clean up and disposal are properly adhered to. If you do choose to remove antifouling yourself, check with the local Port Authority or Fisheries Department for guidelines and advice.