I need to remove the old foam rubber anti-slip pad from my catamaran. Not having much luck peeling away long sheets of it at a time. Would a heat gun set on low work to loosen up the old self-adhesive backing? The boat is painted carbon fiber A-Cat, probably an epoxy paint that is a thermoset with a high heat resistance. What chemical to use on the adhesive residue after removing the the foam?

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High Point, NC

Exploder A15 A-Class Catamaran
Hobie FX One Catamaran
Hobie Tandem Island Trimaran
Weta Trimaran
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Yikes. I'd be asking the guys who built it. It'll certainly depend on what the adhesive used was - some solvents (like acetone) are pretty "broad spectrum", some are relatively benign, like the citrus-based ones. But if it were me I'd want to make damn sure that whatever I used wouldn't attack the boat.

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Southern Alberta and all over the damn place.
*
1981 SuperCat 20 "Roberts' Rockets"
1983 SuperCat 19
TriFoiler #23 "Unfair Advantage"
Mystere 17
Unicorn A-Class (probably made by Trowbridge) that I couldn't resist rescuing at auction.
H18 & Zygal (classic) Tornado - stolen and destroyed - very unpleasant story.
Invitation and Mistral and Sunflower and windsurfers w/ Harken hydrofoils and god knows what else...
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Quote

Yikes. I'd be asking the guys who built it. It'll certainly depend on what the adhesive used was - some solvents (like acetone) are pretty "broad spectrum", some are relatively benign, like the citrus-based ones. But if it were me I'd want to make damn sure that whatever I used wouldn't attack the boat.

Yes I know, but it would nice if Exploder would answer my emails. Are they even in business anymore in the US? The US website's phone number directs me to some company in Florida that has nothing to do with catamarans. I guess I'll have to deal with the factory in Poland.

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High Point, NC

Exploder A15 A-Class Catamaran
Hobie FX One Catamaran
Hobie Tandem Island Trimaran
Weta Trimaran
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Exploder USA was just one individual. It is now been taken over by another. Contact fastboatstuff.com for exploder parts.

A heat gun will help get the pieces off in bigger strips. With some heat it should come off pretty cleanly you could use denatured alcohol/acetone for minor clean up. Be careful not to add too much heat as you can bubble the paint. Just want to get the foam kind of warm and it will come up better.

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Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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bacho

Exploder USA was just one individual. It is now been taken over by another. Contact fastboatstuff.com for exploder parts.

A heat gun will help get the pieces off in bigger strips. With some heat it should come off pretty cleanly you could use denatured alcohol/acetone for minor clean up. Be careful not to add too much heat as you can bubble the paint. Just want to get the foam kind of warm and it will come up better.

Thank you!!!

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High Point, NC

Exploder A15 A-Class Catamaran
Hobie FX One Catamaran
Hobie Tandem Island Trimaran
Weta Trimaran
--

Btw, I don't use denatured alcohol (ethanol) or isopropanol anymore for cleaning anything. I just buy big (40oz) bottles of Everclear, and it's a lot cheaper than the little drugstore bottles of 99% isopropanol. Plus, you can drink it.

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Southern Alberta and all over the damn place.
*
1981 SuperCat 20 "Roberts' Rockets"
1983 SuperCat 19
TriFoiler #23 "Unfair Advantage"
Mystere 17
Unicorn A-Class (probably made by Trowbridge) that I couldn't resist rescuing at auction.
H18 & Zygal (classic) Tornado - stolen and destroyed - very unpleasant story.
Invitation and Mistral and Sunflower and windsurfers w/ Harken hydrofoils and god knows what else...
--

I have used Debond Marine Formula on tough adhesives. I know it works on caulks, adhesives and decals. It is harmless to gel coat and laminations but is rated for the following:

Cured 3M™ 5200 and other polyurethane adhesives. U.S. Patent No. 5,856,285
Removes Caulks and sealants
Removes Black rub marks
Cleans Most graffiti and overspray
Cleans Adhesive residue
Removes Liquid Nails™
Cleans Adhesive film from duct and masking tape
Wipe away excess spills of sealants and adhesives including 3M™ 5200
Polysulfide sealants
Will not harm: Gelcoat, Clear Coat, PlexiGlass, Awlgrip® or Imron®

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Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
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$50 / can??? Stuff must be magic... But, if it work as advertised it would be worth it's weight in gold - I HATE trying to rub off most adhesive residues...

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Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
Hobie 21se (sold)
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Wow - that looks like very cool stuff, thanks. Now I just have to get around that pesky won't-sell-to-Canadia thing...

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Southern Alberta and all over the damn place.
*
1981 SuperCat 20 "Roberts' Rockets"
1983 SuperCat 19
TriFoiler #23 "Unfair Advantage"
Mystere 17
Unicorn A-Class (probably made by Trowbridge) that I couldn't resist rescuing at auction.
H18 & Zygal (classic) Tornado - stolen and destroyed - very unpleasant story.
Invitation and Mistral and Sunflower and windsurfers w/ Harken hydrofoils and god knows what else...
--

sidecar

I need to remove the old foam rubber anti-slip pad from my catamaran. Not having much luck peeling away long sheets of it at a time. Would a heat gun set on low work to loosen up the old self-adhesive backing? The boat is painted carbon fiber A-Cat, probably an epoxy paint that is a thermoset with a high heat resistance. What chemical to use on the adhesive residue after removing the the foam?

I would say a heat gun and plastic scraper is best considering paint. Depending on what paint they used, it could get soft and peel also with the heat. I may even just try a plastic scraper and get the bulk of the foam off. Once you can see the glue underneath, you may have a better luck on removing just the glue. I have had good luck with Goo Gone for removing glue residue.

From my experience of recently refinishing a wooden boat, the humidity level is a huge factor in any chemical removal technique. A buddy that helped strip one hull, had great luck using a liquid stripper. He was able to work on the hull in an air conditioned space. I had to work outside under a covered shed. I found out the liquid stripper would evaporate too fast on my hull working outside, but worked wonderfully on the hull air conditioned. Basically, we used liquid striper to peel off 40+ y/o fiberglass.

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Scott

Prindle Fleet 2
TCDYC

Prindle 18-2 Mod "FrankenKitty"
Tornado Classic "Fast Furniture"
Prindle 19 "Mr. Wiggly"
Nacra 5.8 "De ja vu"
Nacra 5.0
Nacra 5.8
Tornadoes (Reg White)
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texastuma

sidecar

I need to remove the old foam rubber anti-slip pad from my catamaran. Not having much luck peeling away long sheets of it at a time. Would a heat gun set on low work to loosen up the old self-adhesive backing? The boat is painted carbon fiber A-Cat, probably an epoxy paint that is a thermoset with a high heat resistance. What chemical to use on the adhesive residue after removing the the foam?

I would say a heat gun and plastic scraper is best considering paint. Depending on what paint they used, it could get soft and peel also with the heat. I may even just try a plastic scraper and get the bulk of the foam off. Once you can see the glue underneath, you may have a better luck on removing just the glue. I have had good luck with Goo Gone for removing glue residue.

From my experience of recently refinishing a wooden boat, the humidity level is a huge factor in any chemical removal technique. A buddy that helped strip one hull, had great luck using a liquid stripper. He was able to work on the hull in an air conditioned space. I had to work outside under a covered shed. I found out the liquid stripper would evaporate too fast on my hull working outside, but worked wonderfully on the hull air conditioned. Basically, we used liquid striper to peel off 40+ y/o fiberglass.

Thanks! I had good luck with a heat gun to remove the foam rubber from the adhesive using a hard plastic ice scraper. The foam was scored with a pattern which made peeling large sheets impossible. The old adhesive stuck to the paint, especially where it was bare to the sun. The Goo Gone didn't work at all by itself, so I mixed it 50/50 with some acetone in the sprayer. The mixture turned into a gel, which after sitting on the adhesive for 15 minutes, allowed the acetone to do its work without evaporating too fast. Then the ice scraper just peeled sheets of adhesive right off! The new anti-slip pad is a much thicker Hydro-Turf which should make the job easier for the next replacement.

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High Point, NC

Exploder A15 A-Class Catamaran
Hobie FX One Catamaran
Hobie Tandem Island Trimaran
Weta Trimaran
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how long did the old stuff last?
is it stored under cover?

It was a 2015 boat, stored under a cover. Cheap and thin foam rubber with a scored-through design. Same story with most "UV resistant" boat covers that don't last more than 3 years. The boat cover that came with the boat was about to fall apart. I purchased a new one made of Top Gun from Kinder. The cover on my FX One is like new after 3 years.

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High Point, NC

Exploder A15 A-Class Catamaran
Hobie FX One Catamaran
Hobie Tandem Island Trimaran
Weta Trimaran
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