Roll bed liner..... How to remove???

[Fishfreek]

I recently purchased a 1978 14' Lowe Jon boat. The PO has rolled bed liner from a local auto parts store ALL over the bottom. It looks terrible and is very rough and poorly done. Any suggestions on how to remove this stuff. I'm going to start with a good sander and bunch of paper if I can't figure anything else out.


Thanks

 

[Johnny]

if possible, contact the previous owner as to what he used.
or, go to the auto store and look at their gallon size bedliner paints.
go to their website information then check it out. the FAQ may cover it.

worst case scenario: take all flammable stuff off the bottom inside, turn the boat over,
borrow, rent or buy a propane Weed Burner, heavy gloves, melt and scrape.
have a helper stand by with a water hose - for any heat related issues.

But, then, you must have a thorough understanding of the "how hot is too hot" aspect when it comes
to overheating the metal - warping and loosing the temper of the sheet metal.
Basically, it comes down to just how bad you want that stuff off your boat.

from what I see on YouTube, it is HEAT SCRAPE HEAT SCRAPE HEAT SCRAPE HEAT SCRAPE HEAT
well, you get the idea.

two-part epoxy coatings are meant to last a very long time:
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/auto/coatings/professional-grade-truck-bed-liner-kit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhERJkEkN6s

let us know your procedure and results when you start.

 

[PSG-1]

Oh, sh*t! That ain't good. Fortunately, as far as advice goes, you are in luck. I just went through the same problem with my jet boat. And my problem was compounded by the fact that I couldn't turn my boat upside down to work on it.



Had to construct a makeshift boat lift to get it off the trailer so I could work on it.



To strip the paint, I used aircraft coating remover. However, with roll on truck bed liner, you are not dealing with ordinary paint, you are dealing with a polyamide epoxy.

One coat isn't going to blister it like regular paint, and, because it's epoxy, the stripper by itself isn't going to work. Use 1 qt lacquer thinner per gallon of aircraft coating remover. The lacquer thinner helps to soften the epoxy so the stripper can eat into it. Work small areas at a time, and keep the area saturated with the stripper. Also, if you can, cover that spot with plastic, to keep the solvents from evaporating too quickly. The fumes of the methylene chloride break down the paint, and keeping plastic over it will maximize the effect. Otherwise, you're going to waste a lot of stripper.

If you're able to have the boat upside down, it's much easier. Use a scraper to loosen the blistered paint. Then, use a pressure washer with at least 2000 PSI, but preferably higher. Use a turbo nozzle, it will do a much better job of knocking off small pieces that want to cling.

Once you've got all the paint off there, you need to get all the residue off there, and neutralize the chloride by using phosphoric acid (Ospho) to etch the aluminum. Put it on full strength, and let it set for about 15-20 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly with a pressure washer.

After that you should be able to sand, and re-paint.

Good luck with it, and for heaven's sake, be sure to wear your safety glasses, respirator and gloves when handling the stripper. And keep a water hose nearby, if this stuff gets on your skin, it burns like being pepper sprayed. Flushing with water will neutralize it.

 

[who pooted?]

If you have a local Pittsburgh Paints store near you they have a stripper called Duraprep 220 Remover. This will work much better than traditional stripper or even aircraft paint stripper. This is a thick coating, you'll get about 80-100 sq ft per gallon. You'll want to apply this at three times the thickness of the bed liner. This should be around 15 mils (You should be able to get a free wet film gauge from guy at store.) Apply and it's best to let this sit overnight. Just apply and walk away, no need to agitate product.

 

[who pooted?]

Remove loose paint, pressure wash with turbo tip as PSG-1 stated. Definitely wear safety gear, this stuff can burn too

 

[richg99]

Well, after reading all of that above....can you simply cover it properly with more of the same crap?

I've never been a fan of heavy paint/bedliner?? due to weight...but...if it is just ugly, maybe a neat top coat would solve your problem in the easiest, least expensive way.

richg99

 

[Fishfreek]

Well, after reading all of that above....can you simply cover it properly with more of the same crap?

I've never been a fan of heavy paint/bedliner?? due to weight...but...if it is just ugly, maybe a neat top coat would solve your problem in the easiest, least expensive way.

richg99

I wish it was just ugly. Almost looks like he applied it with his has. It has globs, high sharp points It's a mess. My nephews are supposed to help me flip the boat next weekend so I will get a better look then. I have a 5000 psi pressure washer that will get used first. Not sure about a Pittsburg paint but I have a friend that is a commercial sales rep for Sherwin Williams I will hit him up and see what they have. I will keep everyone up to date as I go through the process.

 

[richg99]

Probably not going to work, but worth a try.....my heat gun came with a scraper attachment. It puts out a pretty good stream of very hot air.

It is possible that it would be enough to soften, and then allow you to scrape the crap off. If you have or can borrow such an attachement...give it a try. richg9

 

[PSG-1]

I tried a heat gun on mine, as well as a torch. No effect. In order to get it hot enough to remove paint, it's probably going to warp the hull. Same is true for sandblasting.

Trust me, I've been there, done that. Less than a month ago, in fact.

Stripper is the best option.

 

[Fishfreek]

Well I contacted Duplicolor ( the past owner verified that he used Duplicolor Bed liner ) and they weren't much help. They suggested sand blasting which I can do because I have a huge setup that we use at work. But they also said a stripper might work. Not much of a response.

Got it flipped over yesterday thanks to a couple awesome nephews. So the work will begin soon but I have 6 chemo treatments starting next week so progress will be slow for awhile but it will give me time to gather material.

 

[RiverLife]

I would sand blast it and hit it with some new coating. Sandblasting should take that stuff right off.

I know there are some mobile guys in my area that will come out to your house to do projects like that. A couple hot rodder friends of mine use them often for car projects and machinery overhaul projects. There is also a guy that does it out of his home that I occasionally bring motorcycle frames to. Sure a guy like that could easily do a boat hull.

I think it would be worth having it done by a pro and you can do the more fun part of the project.

 

[PSG-1]

As I mentioned in my previous post, if the bed liner is as firmly adhered to the hull as mine was, sandblasting may do more harm than good. I already inquired about having that done, and the man told me if the paint is to the extent where they have to hold in one spot for more than a second or two for it to come off, it's likely going to heat and warp the hull. That's why I made the decision to use chemical stripper to get the job done.