Since I bought my boat (hull 178 1984) 3 months ago I have been working full time on it to get it back to being in great shape. It was unused for 4 years and badly needed a bottom job. It is now in the boatyard and I decided to sand off all the existing paint and put on a new epoxy barrier before the new anti fouling paint. In the course of this sanding (I've been at it for 2 days and am only half way there) I notice that the original barrier coat only covers about half of the hull. The rest was just never applied. Wow!
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Duncan McNeill
1984 Catalina 36 #178
standard rig fin keel M25
Channel Islands
Not absolutely sure, but I think that your findings are what a PO(Previous owner) may have contributed. I had a new Catalina 30 1984 and at that time there was no barrier coat. It was shortly after 1984 that "blisters" became the buzz word of the industry and Catalina started to coat the bottoms and offer a warranty.
Gary Bain
S/V "Gone With The Wind"
Catalina 36', Hull #: 1056, Year: 1990, Engine: M-35
Standard Rig
Moored: Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Home: Auburn, Maine
My heart goes out to you. The most miserable boat job I've done involves grinding my C 30 hull to remove the 20 years of bottom paint, and then applying the West System Barrier coat (5 layers). The boat yard wanted $11K. If I had to do it again, I'd pay them. Be sure to wear protective clothing and a respirator/dust mask. I found the best approach was to select a specific area one section at a time.
Good luck.
Paul & Wendy Keyser
"First Light"
Rye NH
2005 C36 MKII #2257
Wing, M35B
I agree not a fun job. 27 years ago, I spent a week sanding years of anti fouling of my '73 Douglas 32. I swore I would never do it again. This past Spring, I had the bottom of my C36 'sand blasted' to remove 20 years of built up anti fouling that was literally falling off in patches. Wasn't sand or soda that was used for the blasting but some other medium. The operator was very precise and removed the paint only leaving the barrier protection that had been applied by Catalina intact. It took about 4 hours. I took the next 2 days to apply 2 additional coats of Interlux 2000 for additional protection and then VC 17 antifouling. Cost of sand blasting was about $900 including yard moves etc. Worth every penny. Interlux and VC 17 and supplies another $500 or so. Hope it's not too onerous and ends up well for you.
Alain Croteau
"Veritas"
C36 #1226 SR/wk
Yanmar 3JH2
Kingston, Ontario
I am now 3/4 of the way there. Found an old sealed off thru hull today which was glassed over on the inside but had soft (disintegrated in my fingers when poked) 5200 on the outside. All covered with paint until today. Makes me doubly glad I am doing this. Yes I have been wearing a mask etc and I find doing sections of a square yard at a time is the way to go.
I am expecting to finish sanding after another day and a half. I am certainly getting to know the boat and putting my vibe into it. Overall the boat is coming together really well. Next big job is the standing rigging. Lots of little jobs ongoing. Reinsulated the ice box and bought a new compressor/cooling system. Going to tile the engine cober with soundproof tiles. Replumbed the entire boat already. New head. Removed the water tanks and cleaned them inside. Now they are like new. Sealing off the leaks one by one and the bilge is dry except when underway. Removed the bulkhead under the companionway and sanded then reoiled. Sanded the companionway steps when I was at it. Thoroughly cleaned the entire inside of the boat. Had to remove the sliding hatch to fix a nightmare screech when opening and closing. The list goes on. Thank goodness I can do all this work myself or I would be heading for financial hell. Long list of things remaining to do. This forum has been a fabulous resource and I am full of gratitude to all who contribute and have contributed. Love the boat!
Duncan McNeill
1984 Catalina 36 #178
standard rig fin keel M25
Channel Islands
Also fitting new prop shaft. The old bronze one was pink. Replaced cutlass bearing, pedro tube, and stuffing box. Prior to this the shaft had been misaligned although there was no vibration. The prop shaft was rubbing against the inside of the stuffing box tube, which was down to half thickness on one side due to the friction. Makes me wonder how many older boats out there of all makes have serious and potentially very dangerous flaws needing fixing. I reckon I have saved over $10000 in labor charges already by doing it all myself.
Duncan McNeill
1984 Catalina 36 #178
standard rig fin keel M25
Channel Islands