Self-etching primer over previously painted aluminum?

[Loon]

I have an Alumacraft 1650VB modified V jon boat with factory front and rear casting decks.

Right now they are factory painted .090 aluminum. The paint is in good shape but because I love the Tuff Coat truckbed liner type stuff I used on the wood floor last year, I thought I'd add it to the decks this spring.

The instructions call for a MP-10 primer (not in stock at the C-store in Rogers) for new aluminum surfaces. They also say that over previously painted surfaces you scuff it with 60-80 grit and prime it with a quality primer from your local paint store.

The guys at NAPA convinced me to use a self-etching primer in addition to cleaning and scuffing the surface.

Should I hold off and order the factory primer, use a quality exterior water-based primer from the local paint store, or follow the advice of the guys at NAPA and use the self-etching primer?

They said it's overkill, but you'll never have to worry about it coming up.

I don't mind freshening up the top coat every spring, but at $75/gallon I want to make sure this stuff doesn't start coming up. I want a good base.

Any comments or experience or guesses would be appreciated.

[Eelpout08]

i dont know everything about painting, so if i am wrong let me know, but here is how i would do it-

if there is no bare aluminum i dont think there is any reason to use the etching primer- if the paint you are applying the bedliner to has a good bond to the alum i would just scuff it and spray a good automotive primer(whatever the bedliner reccomends)

if you go to a knowledgeable paint supplier they can help you figure out what primers will work with the existing paint and the liner.

BTW- the bedliner works awesome in boats i think, i have done a couple of canoes with it and sprayed color over the top, no slips and you can hose it out when it gets full of [PoorWordUsage], it also makes the boat a lot quieter.

hope that helps some