Another boat paint question

[fishuhalik]

just got a little Jon boat a few weeks ago. It's an older 15' & the paint is in pretty rough shape. I don't plan on holding onto the boat for a real long time as I'm planning to upgrade in the near future, so I don't need a paint job that's gonna last for 20 years. I will be using it a decent amount though for the next couple years so it needs to last a little while. My biggest concern is if I need to strip all the old paint off to get a decent adhesion or just take off the loose stuff & paint over the rest of it. I don't really want put that much time & $ into it. Any of you guys ever just scrape down the chipped spots, put down a base layer then a camo pattern over the top? How'd it hold up?

[Kettle]

If it is aluminum which I am guessing it is, I would just sand and rough up the bad spots.  I would not take it all down to bare aluminum since you would have to prime it with an etching primer which is expensive and painstaking.  I did this to a boat I got last year since it never was painted.  My canoe on the other hand is ugly looking as far as aesthetics, I just get a new can every year and touch it up.  It works and breaks up the outline of the canoe

 

Kettle

[RebelSS]

PRIMER!!! You have to use a good aluminum primer in this case, otherwise you're tossing your work and money down the drain. Sand, prime, paint...just like any paint job. Use a paint made for metal, too. There's a big difference between the lacquers and enamels when going on a metal surface. Good luck!