Boaty folk advice please.

No idea but I hope you get it sorted Alex. I was going to be a smart arse and say it’s gunwales isn’t it? But no, I see that gunnels is correct too

 

As a temporary repair it may be worth painting on some rubberised paint similar to what is available to waterproof roofs, available from the usual D.I.Y. suspects. It will not be pretty but could do a temporary waterproofing job and give you piece of mind....and a bit of sleep. A proper repair will need to be done when possible depending upon the weather, it looks like it's been rusting for a while.

 

That's the kind of stuff. You might have to put it on quite think over the worst of the damage and a thiner coat over places where there is less or no damage. I think it's important to not leave gaps where water can get under it.

 

Yep, go with care though and don't make any holes or you will be into a lot bigger job.

 

Alex, don't go over the loose stuff. Scrape it all off with a err scraper. Get rid of anything that can and has trapped water. It's not as bad as it looks, honest.
The anti slip is very thick sand impregnated paint and is thick and looks like metal flaking away.
There will be some metal loss, but not as much as you'll find in the summer if you seal in the moisture.
Deep breath, scrape it off, Wang on some primer as a temp measure and deal with it properly when it's dry in a few months time.
Don't worry x

 

And there won't be holes for Alex's peace of mind. It's just the top coat and she's got at least 4mm of steel under there

 

You've been on here long enough to know....















Don't pick it...

 

Get a battery powered angle grinder ( so you dont die if you drop it in the water and grab it..) put a wire brush on it and dive in get rid of the flakes and the surface rust. Treat with Fertan and rinse , prime and paint.

Looks like a welded patch over an impact dent. May need to grind the weld flatter to stop bits poking through the paint.

Job done..at least as well as a boatyard..

 

You'll be fine. If I was you i wouldn't use a grinder. They are a bit harsh on the hull and end up removing good metal that doesn't need to be. Wire wheels can clog up depending on what you're brushing.
If the chandlery sell them, get a Tercoo wheel. A single one should be more than adequate and if you're careful with it you'll be able to keep it in the toolbox for other summer jobs.
Mel's got them in stock here if Willington haven't, but they close at 1 today so let me know if you'd like one putting to one side via pm.
Tercoos chip the loose stuff off rather than remove good metal and fit into the chuck of a standard battery drill. The tungsten tips also prepare the steel for paint...

Edit, and your neighbours will thank you for not showering their boat in hot sparks and grind, which eats into the paint!!

 

Those things look evil!

 

Coz i know how much you worry, I had something similar on the roof. Over the years the waters got under the paint and it looked horrific.
A few weeks ago I attacked it. You'll find if you're not careful the anti slip comes off in sheets, so as this was the roof and I want to do a local repair, I cut around the bad edges with a Stanley knife which stopped more paint coming up than I wanted.
You're right, it's a bit too cold and wet to waste good enamel on at the moment, so I just used some Teamac primer. It'll protect it until the spring, even if a little rust forms in the meantime.
On the gunwale you may need to remove the whole strip. If you didn't want to repaint with sand, which is a faff, you can buy self adhesive antislip...

Looks worse than it is, but better than it did!


Another little bit forming..you can see how thick the paint is with the sand in it

 

They're really really good Jim.
I use them to prepare the waterline. Blacking just moves around if you try and wire it and it clogs up grinders in a few seconds. These flexible wheels are awesome. Too harsh for body panels though

 

As an ex-dockyard shipwright and thence seafarer for 8 years I'd second @theBusmonkey view and scrape and repaint. I've seen a few rusty decks in my time. The steel will be a lot thicker than the rusty buses on here. If it has gone through the deck plate then you could either weld a patch on top or have the metal cut out and a new one butted in, depending on how bothered you re aesthetics. I'd avoid putting rubberised house paint on it that will just be a problem in the future.

 

Just make sure you also have a decent chuck in your drill or you'll cry when it flies out and plops into the water.
@theBusmonkey A few years ago these were very specialist - you couldn't get them for drills and they cost a flippin fortune. Still not cheap, but the price has come right down! On my shopping list for next year.
@Merlin Cat My gunnels were much worse and now you'd be hard pressed to tell they were ever rusty.

Non slip paint is painful if someone didn't prep properly before they painted it on - you can't key the stuff and repaint. We have similar problems to old cars in that when people sell, if it looks a bit scruffy, particularly the roof and gunnels - it gets a coat slapped on with no prep at all and the nightmare begins...

 

You're right. A few years ago iirc there was just one distributor who bought them over from Holland, now they're really accessible.

Alex just called funnily enough and we were discussing prep as you mentioned. The sand is supposed to be fine, kiln dried, and mixed into the paint but it looks like someone possibly used sharp sand on Alex's boat at some time in the past to tidy it up.
Just one of those many jobs we have that sort of creeps up on you. Its the sort of thing I enjoy doing whilst out on the cut though. More chilled out and relaxing and very satisfying to be able to use the boat and see the results of the labour...

 

My biggest problem is that I've done 95% of the paint/rust stripping the hard way - I want one of those but really I wanted it a few years ago! Ain't that so often the way - you struggle along then buy the proper tool when you finally loose patience/almost finished.

Do they get in the rust pits? All the vids show them stripping paint but seem to gloss over (see what I did there) the rust?