Arline Fishing Charters - Using TergoStrip paint remover

July 2010

Using Paint Remover

About a week ago, while scraping the hull to remove the antifoul, I reached an area that was very difficult to reach. So I looked around for alternatives and found some anti-foul that promised to be "heavy duty" and removes antifoul. Simply brush on, wait 5-10 mins and wash off with a strong hose. Yeah Right !!

What I found instead was that the only antifoul that came off was a small amount of residue on the brush while I was painting the remover on. The rest stayed securely on the hull. I tried 10 mins, 20 mins and 30 mins. I tried hose and scraper but nothing came off.

So I moved topsides and tried it on the cabin. The paint here was only one year old and should easily be removed by "heavy duty" paint remover. The photos below speak volumes.

Before and after application of paint remover

The results were pretty unsatisfactory, so I rang the supplier. They said that they would check the batch number and come back to me. I am still waiting So I went to Cater Marine where I had bought it from. They rang the supplier and were told to tell me to put it on thicker, leave it for 20 mins and then scrape off (which is slightly different from their instructions on the bottle).

These photos now show the results after two applications and two scrapes.

There is still top coat evident

Paint remover was so thick that it was running down the surface

Pretty crappy results. The paint in the corners of the windows is still there, even after having a big glob or remover sitting on it for 20 mins (which is easier than trying to get it to sit on a vertical surface - see photo on right)

Finally, I got the results I wanted (or near enough). Did I do it with paint remover? Nah, the trusty sander, heat gun and scraper came through.

Will I use paint remover again? Not likely! Unfortunately the antifoul is still stuck to the hull as I can't get to it. Just have to live with it