MARINE
Antifoul removal and hull preparation in Brisbane
Old antifoul is the worst of both worlds: it has to come off completely before the new system will hold, and what comes off can’t be left on the hardstand. The laser takes antifoul, paint and oxide off alloy, bronze and steel with nothing driven into the metal and the residue captured at the head. Where a steel hull spec calls for a blast profile, we blast. Props, shafts and fittings come to the workshop.
What comes off
- Antifoul, layer on layer
- Topside paint and old primers
- Oxide and corrosion on aluminium, bronze and steel
- Marine growth, barnacle rings and calcium
- Sealants and adhesive residue around fittings
What we do it on
- Aluminium hulls, plate and pontoons
- Steel hulls, keels and rudders
- Bronze and stainless props, shafts, rudders and skin fittings
- Rails, cleats, hatches and deck hardware
- Trailers, outboard legs and stern drives
Fibreglass hulls depend on the coating system and the gelcoat under it. Send a photo before you assume; sometimes the answer is a different method.
How we do it
Aluminium is where the laser earns its keep on a boat. Blasting pits and peens alloy plate, and grinding thins it; the pulsed laser takes the antifoul and oxide off and leaves the plate as it was. Bronze props and stainless shafts come up the same way, without changing a dimension or scoring a bearing surface.
On steel hulls where the coating specification wants a blast profile, abrasive blasting is the right tool and we bring it. Either way, what comes off is captured: at the laser head, or in the blast containment, rather than washed across the hardstand. We work on the hardstand, in your shed or at the marina where access and the yard allow.
What you get back
A hull, prop or fitting ready for the primer the next antifoul system specifies, with the surface named on the quote so the yard and the coating supplier know what they’re painting over. Bare aluminium and steel want primer promptly; we’ll tell you the window.
Before and after photos, and the material that came off bagged rather than on the ground, which matters to the yard and to whoever inspects it.
JOBS LIKE THIS
Jobs like this
Alloy hull back to bare plate
Every layer of antifoul off an aluminium hull without pitting the plate, ready for the etch primer the new system calls for.
Props, shafts and rudders on the bench
Growth, oxide and old coatings off bronze and stainless without touching a machined surface. They come to the workshop and go back ready to fit.
Rails and deck hardware
Oxide, old paint and sealant residue off rails, cleats and hatches, in place where they’re through-bolted or on the bench where they’re not.
BEFORE YOU RING
Questions people ask
Can you take antifoul off aluminium without damaging it?
Yes. That’s the reason to use the laser on alloy rather than a blaster or a grinder. The beam is set to take the coating and stop, so the plate keeps its thickness and its surface. We check the setting on a small area first.
Do you work at the marina?
Where the yard allows it and there’s power and access, yes. Otherwise on the hardstand or in your shed. What comes off is captured at the head, which is usually the condition the yard sets.
What about my fibreglass hull?
It depends on the antifoul system, the primer under it and the gelcoat under that. Some combinations suit the laser, some are better handled another way. Send a photo of the hull and, if you know it, the product on it, and we’ll tell you straight.
Steel hull: laser or blast?
If the coating spec calls for a measured profile, blasting, with containment. If it’s fittings, plate that has to stay true, or work near people and finished surfaces, the laser. Often it’s both on the same boat.
How do I get a price?
A photo of the hull out of the water, the length, and what’s on it. Kira will reply with what we’d do and a price or a range, usually the same business day.
THE PROCESS
How the job runs
- 01
Send a photo
A photo and a rough size is enough. We’ll tell you what we’d do and what it involves before anyone drives out.
- 02
Method chosen
Laser, blasting, washing or grinding, depending on the surface and what’s on it.
- 03
Removal
Only the layer that has to go. With the laser, nothing is driven into the surface and nothing is left behind on it.
- 04
Inspection
We check it with you. If a spot isn’t right, we fix it before we leave.
- 05
Handover
The surface ready for the next step, with photos of what came off.
OTHER JOBS
Other jobs we get asked for
Every one of these starts the same way: a photo, a rough size, and a straight answer about what we’d do.
Marine →Rust removal
Rust, mill scale and oxide off steel, iron and castings, back to bare metal that’s ready for primer.
Car paint stripping
Paint, powder coat, underseal and rust off panels, chassis, wheels and castings, with no heat and no grit.
Engine bay cleaning
Paint, grease, rust and old underseal off the bay, the firewall and the block, without pulling the engine.
Graffiti and masonry cleaning
Paint, soot and biological growth off sandstone, brick, render and concrete, including listed buildings, without chemicals or abrasion.
Pressure washing
Mould, algae, dirt and loose paint off large areas of render, concrete, pavements and cladding.
Concrete grinding
Failed coatings, adhesives and high spots off floors, walls and overhead, with the dust captured at the machine.