Stripping the old topsides paint off a Cape Dory Typhoon

While waiting for the yard to put Cantaora on jackstands, I started stripping off the topsides paint. I knew the whole boat would require a complete new paint job, so I went with an aggressive 40 grit drum on a burnishing sander. The boat had been painted with whatcseemed like outdoor paint, using a thick heavy brush. It definitely needed to go.

This is my new favorite tool, I call her Dusty. Sanding of old paint is a miserable job when restoring boat so any way to get that done faster suits me just fine. Dusty doesn't leave the same smooth and even surface as the Bosch 6" orbital sander but it gets the job done, and fast. Whatever divots are left are dealt with later when fairing the hull bit I did go over the stripped topsides once more with the Bosch and 80 grit sanding discs.


Dusty made quick work of the old paint, stripping her topsides down to original gel coat in less than an hour for each side. I switched the handle position from what's shown in the video to position my hand over the drum for better control. Hearing protection is recommended! 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poop deck repair and stern locker rebuild on a Cape Dory Typhoon sailboat - part 1

Image
The boat came to me with extensive core rot on the deck, cabin top, cockpit seats and cockpit bulkhead and especially on the poop deck at the stern of the boat. Here, there were multiple penetrations for deckplates, the traveler, cleats etc which had not been sealed properly letting in a lot of moisture. In addition, the camber on the deck top had been flattened down by the traveler, so it collected standing water with inadequate drainage which only added to the deck rot. Basically all the core was gone, and both remaining fiberglass layers had to be cut so  I cou l d easily access the area below the poop deck to build a stern locker to store a portable gas tank. Honestly I am not a fan of two design points on these Cape Dory yachts: 1- the inaccessible bilge and 2- this very large space under the poop deck which is only accessible by a vertical deck plate with a 4" hole fitted behind and over the rudder post, just enough space to fit a hand but not much else. Since the original T
Read more

Stripping old bottom paint from a Cape Dory Typhoon

Image
The yard workers got around to taking Cantaora off her ill-suited and broken down old trailer onto a few jackstands. This gives me easier access to the boat bottom to start stripping her old bottom paint too now that her topsides was completely stripped of old paint. Stripping a boat bottom of old anti-fouling bottom paint is a miserable, time-consuming job so I've learned to first get almost all the old ablative paint off with a chemical stripper called Peel Away. The stuff is not cheap but the cost evens out if you consider the yard time that is saved. I made a point of applying the stripper a little heavier around the areas that are harder to sand, including tight curves. Sold in kit form, Peel Away is highly caustic water-based putty that is spread on the hull bottom over the ablative paint (I apply it with notched trowel first before smoothing it all out) then covered with 3'x3' plastic sheets (comes with each kit) and left overnight.  The next day, the caustic putty a
Read more

Restoring the cockpit sole on a Cape Dory Typhoon, Part One

Image
While removing most of the cockpit fittings on Cantaora, I noticed the cockpit sole was so soft that it felt dangerous to step on, making it a priority item to fix contrary to my general plan to avoid fixing anything that can be addressed later when the boat is in the water (fixing up an old boat is not an easily pre-planned, linear process.)   My boat came with 12" long teak tiles covering the sole, stuck on with generations of caulking in an ultimately failed attempt to block leaks. It covered-up a lot of issues and had to go. Generally IMHO teak decking is excess weight, and too hot under bare feet in the tropics anyway, so I had no plans to salvage or replace it.  Thankfully there was no 3M 5200 used and the teak came off the cockpit sole easily with a pry-bar. In some places even the bottom fiberglass layer was compromised. The oval wood cover piece around the rudder shaft popped right off after I removed the tiller head (and discovered an issue with the bolt that was suppose
Read more