Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

OF COURSE it's "messy", people. It's a big bucket of chemical paint stripper. You slap it on thick and then scrape off layers of old paint. What did you expect? If you don't like "messy" then go pay the soulless clowns at your local boatyard $2000 to do it for you.

For everyone else, a review:

No, it does not quickly and easily remove 10 layers of bottom paint. I know because I've tried. But it works better than anything else I've used and I've tried a lot of them.

Still, I'm sure it depends on the paint or something. Beats me, not an expert.

And again, don't expect it to be quick and easy. It's not.

Some tips:

- Forget using some wimpy plastic paint scraper. Get yourself a thick, sturdy short-handled ice scraper for windshields.

- The makers say to use it between 60-80 degrees: believe them. Remember that this is a chemical reaction you're inducing here and - if you went to school back before it was transformed into group therapy for poster makers - you'll recall that temperature is an important element in any chemical reaction. If it's much over 80 degrees or much under 60 the stuff just doesn't work nearly as well.

- Yes, it dries out. Go get some really cheap, thin plastic dropcloth and when you're finished coating the boat, tape the stuff up over it, although usually it will just stick to it no problem. I've also used that Press & Seal plastic wrap stuff, which is good because you can do small areas and also uncover smaller areas at a time. Easier to use, too.

- If you've got many many layers, as I said, you'll probably need to re-coat, but even if you don't, when you get done scraping there's some residue. Take a big green kitchen scouring pad and lightly scrub the little sticky bits that haven't come off yet. Don't wait until later because it'll harden again. Do it while it's still soft. Comes right off.

- If you've got a layer of primer it probably won't come off with this, but a light sanding with 400 or 600 grit with water will ake that right up. Again, it's easier if you do it right away.

- If you use this with your boat on a trailer, make sure you cover any parts of the trailer that you don't want the paint removed from. Those big globs of old paint that you're scraping off still contain enough stripper to quickly mess up your trailer paint. Take it from someone who once ended up having to repaint a trailer.

- As several people mentioned, it can be a challenge to get it on thick enough, and it needs to be thick. Use a medium sized brush more or less like a spatula. Smear it on rather than brush like you would your walls.

- No two applications are the same. The first time you use it you'll go racing out after it's been on a couple of hours and be very disappointed when absolutely nothing comes up. I always plan for it to be on for 24 hours, and I've left it on as much as 48. As long as it's covered with plastic, it'll be fine.

Be realistic, plan ahead for the mess, and above all be patient and figure out what works best in your particular application. Yours wil not be the same as anyone else's.

All I can say is that it DOES work, it works better than anything else I've tried and I bet it will work for you too.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

I have tried Aqua Strip twice now to remove bottom paint from a Catalina 22 and now a Macgregor 26. It does take off layers of bottom paint and does not impact the gelcoat. However, my experience is that it only will remove one or two coats, not the up-to-10 coats advertised. It tends to dry out quickly and once dried is really hard to scrape off, even if you rejuvenate it with water. It is slow but that wouldn't bother me if it worked well. Was excited about this product when I ordered it due to it being environment friendly. Not so excited anymore.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

I am stripping 35 ft sailboat topsides, Most of the paint came off easily. The boot and cove stipe needed several application.I used 2 1/2 gals to succesfully strip the whole boat. Works best after 2 1/2 hours on a shady day,when temp is between 60-80 degrees.clean up was easy withsoap and water...

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

I used this on my 21' CC to strip bottom paint. The work is being done with the boat on the trailer, temp's in the upper 80's. I like to keep moving on a project and products that work fast, Aqua strip is slow. When appplying it overhead to the bottom of the boat I had a hard time getting it thick enough to work and not dry up. When applyed thick enough it does work, but its still slow. I ended up switching to a different fiberglass safe chemical stipper that could be scraped in 10-15 mins.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

Follow the directions on the container and try to stay within the recommended temperature range of application

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

I used this on topside paint, 49 years of buildup on a lapstrake hull. Apply liberally, let sit overnight, scape. Two applications to bare wood. Previously used StarTen which took 4 to 6 sessions. Worked well on varnish too.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

Product does work if used in recommended temperature range,but don't be mistaken,it is still a lot of work.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

I had a bit of a learning curve with this product so I thought I would pass along to you what I learned. First I have a 30 year old boat with layers and layers of bottom paint that I wanted to get rid of. I applied this and let it sit overnight (mistake one). The next morning it was fine and paint was easily being stripped off. Not down to the gel coat but at least 5+ layers. As the morning drew on the day got hotter and hotter and the product dried out. This is very bad. They say you can wet it with water but I found once it dried it got hard as a rock and the stripping was very hard. End of the day I was beat but tons of paint were removed. Next day I tried it again, applied over whole boat and went to breakfast. Came back and started stripping like crazy. This was really working now and I was getting 4' to 5' strips of thick paint off with each scraper try. But again as the day wore on it dried out on me and again it became a struggle. If I was to do it again I would apply the remover to 1/4 of the boat, go get breakfast come back apply to the next 1/4 of the boat, strip the first 1/4, apply the next 1/4, strip the 2nd 1/4 etc. until done. I think that would work just great. I have a 30' fin keeled sailboat and one gallon is just about enough to cover one side.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

This Product works. I am half way thru stripping a 22 foot seafarer sailboat with bottom paint dating back to 1976. My best advice? FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. I made every effort to come up with a way to improve performance only to find that the directions have it all figured out. As any chemical the results are directly related to the temperature. The specs tell you to use this product between 60F and 80F. As I am in the northeast I have been using it between 40F and 60F. I would recommend that you try to stay above 50. The dwell time is also critical, measure in hours. In the cold temps I use a minimum of 24 hours but I have left it on the hull for a week or more. It will dry out, and as a water based product this stops any effect on the paint, but some water and a thin application of the product brings it back to life. I have not seen any damage to the gell coat. My conclusion? There is no such thing as a free lunch. This is still a hard job. So far I have not had the results shown on the web sites vidio, possably due to the cold temps. Better than sanding and grinding. No fumes or bad toxic chemicals (I use this without a resporator). I did a test with the interlux stripper it was very toxic and it had very little effect on the bottom paint. Aqua-Strip is a good product for a very dirty job.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

Make sure you follow the application temperature requirements; it worked ok with temps in the 50's, but really needs 60's and above. Worked great on 1-2 layers of paint, but more was needed for more than 3 layers and getting through any primer/barrier coat. But overall, a great product in lieu of scraping and sanding.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

I used this to try and remove many layers of ablative bottom paint from a 28ft fiberglass sailboat. It seemed to take off about 4-5 of the layers. It is fairly easy to work with, but it does become messy when you are under a boat trying to scrape off layers of paint and goop. I got covered in the stuff, at least it is non-toxic. It took off about half of the layers of paint on my bottom. Occasional spray it with water to keep it wet, activated, and easier to remove.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

I used this product to strip top side paint off a 1963 Chriscraft. I didn't get the 60 sq. ft. coverage, but was please to get the paint off in a marina environment without the fumes and mess of more traditional removers. Clean up is SO easy.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

16" 50 year old Century, stripped the bottom and sides in 8 hours (solo), rolled it on and waited till the paint "raised", with a plastic scrapper the paint came off in long ribbons. When it tried to dry out a spray bottle with water kept it activated until I was down to the natural wood.

Comments about Back To Nature Aqua Strip Paint Stripper:

I find interlux much better but I can only find the fiberglass stripper on the jamestown web site so I tried this one and was verry dissapointed.