removing paint on outside of trailer...

[April Wilcox]

So as I am going around inspecting the outside of our camper, I am becoming aware that the upper half of the camper's paint job is just horrible. Is there any way to remove this paint, to reexpose the fiberglass without having to sand it? I am not sure what kind of paint they used, but it is not at all glossy, dirt clings to it and it has a horribe bumpy texture. I don't expect I will take this on for a little while, but I thought it couldn't hurt to get some information about it. The lower half is at least slick and cleans up easy, but there are drip marks all around in the black section. It might just be a job to get done by a pro.

[Kevin K]

Plastic media blasting
Web site http://www.kramerindustriesonline.com/blas...c-abrasives.htm

[Doug Mager]

I'd think(??) that IF I was the one that had of painted your trailer, I would have probably sanded or at least scuffed up the hull before I splashed some color at it. This process probably would/will have left considerable scarring on the trailer surface, rendering it almost impossible to restore. Possibly the better way to deal with the condition is to repaint it. Start small, doing the top half, and if you like the results (or have some pro paint it), do the lower half another time.

[April Wilcox]

Thanks for the advice Doug. I think we will just leave it the way it is on the outside for a while.

[james kent]

I scraped the entire trailer with one of those razor blade type knife holders. The previous owner had used a heavy undercoat to hide some tree rash and then painted it with a metalic paint. I still had to sand it before priming and painting with Brightsides marine paint. it was a big job but worth it in the end. As I have no shop it was done in the driveway on good days with a gallery of neighbours kibbitzing from their front lawns. They were all paint experts but found that they really couldn't help much when asked if they wanted to dig right in.
"Hey Jim, You missed a spot over near the......" or "Why don't you ........."
Ya gotta love havin' good friends, EH?

[April Wilcox]

Kirk seems to think keeping the outside kinda ugly will be a good thing, to make us less of a target. If our camper looks crappy on the outside, people won't be as likely to think there is something good on the inside... I don't know... One day we might have it repainted, or take on the task ourselves. I guess for now we just have to accept it for what it is. It looks like a big job.