painting boat

[mightyhunter]

Hi everyone. im looking to get the boat painted and looking for some advice. It is an aluminum boat already painted. I spoke to a few people and they suggest only removing the decals, scuffing the existing paint and spraying new paint on. I always thought you need to remove the old paint before applying new. Any feedback is appreciated.

[grizzlygreig]

I've done a aluminium boat.. Took a block and fine sand paper and scuffed it up... Then I used paint for aluminium siding... Above the water line... Anti fouling paint below the water line... Nothing too fancy but turned out pretty good.

[trimmer21]

I've done a aluminium boat.. Took a block and fine sand paper and scuffed it up... Then I used paint for aluminium siding... Above the water line... Anti fouling paint below the water line... Nothing too fancy but turned out pretty good.

X2. I do mine every couple of years from the beating it takes going through weed beds and bull rushes. A medium grit sand paper on a rotating power sander scuffs off the loose,old stuff then,I just re-paint with either Trem clad or Armor Coat. I've never used anti-fouling paint below the water line. I just clean it well using CLR and the power washer. It lasts a long time and it's not very expensive.

[Sinker]

Spend the time doing the prep, and it will last a long time.

No need to paint below the water line.

Just scuff the old paint, and have atter. If you want to paint bare aluminum, you will need a self etching primer first, then paint. Painted aluminum will already have the primer.

S.

[grizzlygreig]

The anti fouling for the bottom is a thick coating that kinda coats the rivets.... Not cheap either!... The aluminium I had was a 26 ft and was in the water from April till October... Never had a lose rivet.... It was a Starcraft cheifton...

[Acuteangler]

Hi
I had a five year old Lowe that had a lot of dock rash. I went to the marine supply store on James St. North in Hamilton for advice.

They were very explicit as to what to do; the kind of sand paper to use, how to sand. how to clean off dust, what kind of primer to use and what kind of top coat and what kind of brush to use. Yes I said brush. I bought all the supplies from them and followed their advice my boat looked beautiful. There were no brush strokes. I had never painted a boat in my life but by being patient and following directions, the job was great. At the time the paint and supplies seemed expensive but they were a fraction of the cost of having it done professionally. If you want more advice send me a PM

[CDNSportsman]

I am also painting my aluminum but it has not been previously painted. I am thinking I might try this new'ish PlastiDip stuff seems like it could work well. A friend of mine does cars with it and says its very easy to use and even easier to touch up scuffs and scratches.

[Alex Bass Man]

I am also painting my aluminum but it has not been previously painted. I am thinking I might try this new'ish PlastiDip stuff seems like it could work well. A friend of mine does cars with it and says its very easy to use and even easier to touch up scuffs and scratches.

Not sure how that PlastiDip would handle hitting rocks. From what I was told that when putting that on vehicles, it only tends to last about 4 years but would think less if hitting rougher locations. Wonder how the stray on rock guard would work. Seen guys spray it and sand that down smooth on vehicles maybe handle rocks better.

[Dead Ringer]

As said above, if the existing paint is well adhered, no need to go to bare aluminum. In fact, I'd be careful to avoid it.

As for the bottom, someone mentioned anti-fouling. Be careful with that as the only copper anti-fouling that is safe to use with aluminum is cuprous thiocyanate (white copper). Using paints with cuprous oxide can cause serious corrossion issues on aluminum boats. Unless you leave the boat in the water all season long, no need for anti-fouling paint anyway.

I have heard of people using bedliner on the bottom of the boat. But the inside of the bottom of the boat, not the outside. To add traction, reduce noise, etc. Also to seal holes in rivets similar to the use of Gluv-It. Putting it on the outside doesn't make sense to me. Would seem to really add drag to the boat.

The bottom of my aluminum is painted with STEELFLEX SUPER SLICK EPOXY COATING #9X-2000, which has Teflon in it. Great for reducing drag when crossing vegetation. Can basically push the boat across the lawn after coated with this and is very slick on the trailer. Also serves to add a strong epoxy coating to the hull and seal rivets. But unless you plan on driving your boat across vegetation, it's a very expensive coating for very little benefit to you.

Final verdict: If the boat's trailered, just leave the bottom or paint with the same stuff you're using on the rest of the hull.