Re:New Cal28 owner (hull 336)

John, others have given a bunch of good advice so far. I'd recommend that you consider removing all the old bottom paint, no matter what its condition. Here's my reasoning. 1. This is a new-to-you boat and you don't really know what condition the hull is in. When we removed the bottom paint on our new old boat, we found areas of bare laminate with no gel coat. We were able to put on a barrier coat before we applied bottom paint. 2. While you've got it out of the water and the paint off, you should take moisture readings of the hull. This could point out potential blistering or other water intrusion problems. If the hull does not have a proper barrier coat, this could be especially important. 3. A fresh start means that you'll be able to apply the correct primer coat for your chosen bottom paint, which will likely translate into a longer effective life. Given the cost of bottom paint, this could be a long-term savings of money and effort. We've had mixed success with soda blasting to remove the old paint. One time it was done well, but the second time, the blaster was "overly exuberant" and removed areas of our barrier coat. It pays to get someone good to do the job. Alfred Poor 1969 Cal 29 #132, "Pentaquod"

Hi Alfred, Sorry I didn't take time earlier to reply to you directly regarding the information/ recomendations about painting my hull. I have to agree that this is a timely opportunity to inspect the hull in general and make a good evaluation of the actual needs. I have decided to strip her down and see what's there prior to application of the new paint. Thanks for taking the time to offer your input. John Alfred Poor <ap… [at] bellatlantic.net> wrote: John, others have given a bunch of good advice so far. I’d recommend that you consider removing all the old bottom paint, no matter what its condition. Here’s my reasoning. This is a new-to-you boat and you don’t really know what condition the hull is in. When we removed the bottom paint on our new old boat, we found areas of bare laminate with no gel coat. We were able to put on a barrier coat before we applied bottom paint. While you’ve got it out of the water and the paint off, you should take moisture readings of the hull. This could point out potential blistering or other water intrusion problems. If the hull does not have a proper barrier coat, this could be especially important. A fresh start means that you’ll be able to apply the correct primer coat for your chosen bottom paint, which will likely translate into a longer effective life. Given the cost of bottom paint, this could be a long-term savings of money and effort. We’ve had mixed success with soda blasting to remove the old paint. One time it was done well, but the second time, the blaster was “overly exuberant” and removed areas of our barrier coat. It pays to get someone good to do the job. Alfred Poor 1969 Cal 29 #132, “Pentaquod” John Trevvvett ProFish, Ltd. 757-642-6178 --------------------------------- No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started.