Santosha is overdue to have the bottom stripped below the waterline & and new anti-fouling applied. However, before new anti-fouling paint is put on I will have some fiberglass repairs made to the hull. Once those repairs are completed I will apply at least two coats of epoxy sealant & then apply at least two coats of anti fouling paint.

Shortly after Santosha was hauled out for the season my fiberglass guy began sanding the bottom using heavy grit sandpaper on an orbital sander & a belt sander. Unfortunately the paint was so hard that it took him the better part of an entire day to make just a little bit of progress.

We also discovered that the bottom had probably been stripped 2 or 3 times before & as a result there was virtually no gelcoat left on the hull after this current sanding. Therefore, the hull will have to be repaired & sealed before new anti-fouling paint can be applied.

To finish sanding the bottom using electric sanders would be ridiculously expensive so I opted to hire someone with dustless media blasting equipment to do the job for me. With the help of staff at Aylings Boatyard I found Tatlock Tractors & Dustless Blasting, an Ottawa area company that uses various media with a dustless blaster to strip paint.

They had stripped the bottom of other fiberglass boats using a combination of high pressure water mixed with glass grit.This process was much faster than the electric sanders but it still took the fellow almost 8 hours to complete the job.

Santosha will spend the winter under cover in a shed at Aylings Boatyard. My fiberglass guy will come back In the spring to finish the bottom refit job.

Guess I’d better start saving up for the next phase of this project.

Cheers!