Stripping Teak with Heat Gun and protecting Gelcoat

Hi Everyone,
I apologize if this question has been covered but I could not find an answer searching. The time has come for me to strip down all my exterior teak cap rails, bowsprit and eyebrows. I have read both of Rebecca Whitman's books and I am thinking that using a heat gun and bahco scraper may be the way to go. But, can anyone who has done this before tell me how do you protect the gelcoat from the heat of the heat gun. I'm especially concerned about trying to strip down the eyebrow and wondered if masking tape is enough to protect the gelcoat. Or would I be better not to use the heat gun and use citristrip instead? If you have successfully done this before, please share your wisdom like you are talking to a 4 year old as that is what I am feeling like right now. Thanks in advance.
Jimmy Stacy
IP-35 Volans

Jim, we are in the middle of stripping off old Cetal, also. We took the stainless off the rub rail, placed that blue painter's tape against the hull (gel coat), and used a heat gun and scraper. Then we used Citristrip, washed very thoroughly, sanded, and varnished. We haven't started on the cap rails yet.

On the handrails, we taped with the blue tape and taped some plastic pieces to the cabin top. Then we scraped and used Citristrip after that. Then we washed with a mixture of Wisk and Clorox, (1 cub of each per gallon of fresh water), let it sit for a day and washed off. Then we sanded and varnished.

The eyebrows were simply taped and striped with Citristrip. We have not noticed any damage to the gelcoat. If you have waxed the boat, the Citristip will take that off. Simply re-wax after you varnish.

I hope this gets you started. Rebecca's book is the best guide for bright work. Good luck! It all seems a bit daunting at first, but if you keep your nose down and do this in small areas, you will get the job done.

Jimmy,

Hi, I'm the other half of Anglefish's team - LOL. She's said about everything there is to say, from my point of view. I haven't seen any issue with the Citristrip getting on the gelcoat. The Citristrip seems to be active only against the varnish, not anything else.

I used a heat gun extensively on our boat, particularly on large flat areas, but found that I still wasn't completely happy with what was left, so generally then went back with Citristrip after the heat gun had done it's magic. We've got plenty left to do, but I think the process will remain the same. You'll find the outcome to be well worth the effort. Keep us up to speed as things go along.

PlumBob / Sam

Hi Angelfish, Sam and Hayden,
Thanks to you all for your guidance. I'm off and running. And thinking to myself "Oh Lord, how did I get in this mess I started by removing the starboard Stainless Rub rail and after chickening out on the heat gun, I went to work with the Citristrip. This is going to take some time but but the area I have done is starting to look pretty clean between the stripper and the scraper. Now, the next part is to clean up the stainless rubrail that has a lot of varnish attached. A friend of mine said his dad used to do Stainless work and he has a special polisher that will make short work of this and will bring it over next weekend. I was very surprised to find that the wood under and below the rubrail is about a millimeter or two higher than the wood at and above the rub rail. Not sure if it was made that way or if this is from previous sanding without removing the rail.

Jimmy
IP-35 #99 Volans

Again, here is my two cents worth. On our 350 before and now on our 40 we have striped the teak with all the common methods. I currently use Ctristrip, and it seems to work well. Then we clean up the mess with a scraper, very easy work after the chemical strip. Don't rush it, use two or three applications. Also Hayden is correct - - Carbide scrapers are the only way to go - period. On a flat area they will remove the finish w/o striper if you push down hard enough. They are expensive, but well worth it. The wider ones, like 2 inch work well and the narrow ones are also handy. The narrow ones really strip because they concentrate the force in a smaller area, BUT you must be careful because you can cut cross grain and make a big scar. One blade with do a whole boat. It is good to have a spare blade. We use old Sandvik scrapers, now like the Bahco (formerly Sandvik) Ergo 650.

Some other Lessons learned the hard way.
1. Buy the best knee pads that you can afford. Two pairs provide real luxury because they fill with sweat after a day on your knees and having dry ones for the next morning, as you covet the teak-less Catalina an Beneteau in the adjacent slips, makes the second day of this nonsense easier to tolerate.
2. Put a lanyard on your expensive scraper so you can secure it to your wrist. Saves a $30 two hour trip to the hardware store.
3. A small shop vac - also secured with a lanyard - is handy to clean up the scrapings as you clean off the striper. You may not care if it blows away or falls in the water, but you will track it into the boat as you reload your beer.
4. Remember - it is an ocean going boat, not a "Marina Queen" and certainly not a Piano - - lower your standards, you will be happier, besides you will get another chance to do it all again in a year or so.

Finally - I got great, but pretty condescending advice from the owner of an IP 40 anchored in Marsh Harbor about 10 years ago. My wife and I came along side in our dink with stars in our eyes as we admired his absolutely beautiful teak We wanted to asked him how he got it so nice and to share his secret, So we asked, "What did he use on it?". HIS CHECK BOOK" he dryly replied.

George
SV Delicia

Jimmy, just use the Citristrip on your stainless. That old varnish will come right off. Just be sure to let it sit a while on the stainless before you wipe it off. Then wash the stainless. Before Sam and I put the stainless back on, I waxed all of it with Collinite. I won't lie to you, putting that stainless back on was a real job.

Two points - the 485 has a teak moulding that runs around the raised section of the deck. A scraper was the only way of effectively removing the Cetol, and I found took about 5 hours to do both sides. I would never apply Cetol again.

The toecap is also coated in Cetol - on the toe cap it does look nice, but having seen a 485 with raw teak toe strips when I get around to redoing ours that is the way it will stay.

Here in the UK its a two year job to keep the Cetol looking really good and a huge amount of work, whereas the teak looks lovely with an occasional scrub and spray with algae preventer.

We cant get Cetol here but there is a very close equivalent produced by International.

Next question Now that I have successfully gotten the hang of stripping, I have found on the starboard gate for entry into the boat, the teak is not a single board but a stack of 3 boards. The top board has some gaps both across the horizontal side and more worrisome on the vertical side where the stainless rub rail is attached. It looks as though there was some loose filler/sealer that I may have scrapped up during the stripping process.
Any advice on what do with this. It looks like a place where moisture would love to insidious things to the teak.
Any advice from those you experienced this as well?

I used a good quality wood filler but you could use resin also. When you varnish over those blemishes, they are sealed. When you put the stainless back on, be sure and use SilPruf in your screw holes before you put the screws in. There is a trick to putting that stainless back on.

Do NOT start at one end and start putting the screws back in. Put a screw in at one end and then the other end. Then put one in the middle. After that, put one in between the end and middle, then another in between those. This way the metal is placed on evenly.