Railstar is a system for removing boat finishes that produces less toxic waste than traditional chemical stripping or sanding methods. Traditional stripping of 30 coats of clear coat from a boat using a chemical stripper produces waste in just 5 minutes that contains hazardous materials and can harm aquatic environments. Railstar advocates for more environmentally friendly methods of finish removal that do not produce waste that damages fragile ecosystems.

1. SEE FOR YOURSELF WHY RAILSTAR IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT THING TO DO
Fig 1 Fig 2
In the above example we removed ten applications of clear coat using a standard chemical stripper, a popular
method due to its relative time efficiency. After the initial chemical softening, the product was removed with a
scraper in 5 minutes. Often, by the time a boat is ready to strip a cap rail or other exterior structure there can be
upwards of 30 coats already delivered, each of which requires sanding between applications discharging more
pollutants.
The Awl Brite double component acrylic urethane system was used here with the recommended Awlspar sealer.
This is arguably a prefered choice for many yachts throughout the industry.
Acrylic urethanes are very durable as they are catalysed plastic formulations, hard curing and have longer life
cycles. But at what cost ? Aside from isocyanates, the many hazardous materials are published for anyone to read
if you have a magnifying glass. The clear coat, sealer and the stripper all publish (in small print) the following
caution:
“Harmful to aquatic organisms. May cause long term adverse effects in the aquatic environment”
Fig 3 Fig 4 Fig 5 Fig 6
The concoction of waste from this example took only 5 minutes to produce and does not belong in the water nor
on the floor of a shipyard where much will end up in the watershed via wind or rain further damaging an already
fragile eco system. This is preventable. Simply dry hand sanding with 400 grit also produces more toxic waste
than one would expect (fig 3). The equation here is simple; Reverse engineer sanding dust = plastic compounds =
petroleum.
Q: Why would yacht finishers or crew members alike not apply a top coat on windy days?
A: Contamination, can react with and damage the aesthetics and durability of the intended flawless result.
Q: Should finishers and crew be expected to exercise the same due regard for marine life?
A: Absolutely! And proponents of the Railstar Mess Management System are setting a great example.