Painting my Aluminum Boat

[Fishin4Life]

I have an old (1960's) crestliner 14ft standard fishing boat. I would like to put some paint on it to make it look a bit nicer. Is there a special paint I should use, or anything special I need to do to prepare it for paint. I have heard painting aluminum can be a pain. Any suggestions would be helpful. I would like it to look ok but also be in-expensive, it is too old to put any money into besides a few bucks. Thanks

[jigginjerk]

Do a search on boat painting in the forum. There's been good info givin. Good luck!!

[DTro]

I've got a close eye on this post. I plan on doing the same with my 14'er that could use a new coat. I really am not concerned how nice it turns out.

I think my plan is to remove any loose paint/decals, wash with a vinegar mix and use my compressor with spray attachment. The last thing I need to decide is what type of paint to use. I'm thinking a color similar to the drab olive green that Lund uses.

[Fishin4Life]

I got a tip from a guy that said he did his up with Rustoleum all metal primer. I have his e-mail at work. I will post the complete thing tomorrow morning.

[huntingislife]

I have used rustoleum before. They actually make special marine paint. I just roll it on with a very smooth roller and it comes out real nice. Much smoother than you would expect and it goes very quick too.

[Fishin4Life]

Here is the e-mail i got from the guy

"I brushed the aluminum first with an abrasive brush

(very abrasive sponge that has a drill bit) and used

my power drill to rough the surface up. Then i used

Rustoleum Aluminum primer, it's an all metal primer,

but it works wonders on Aluminum. Then i painted about

thin coats over the primer. Lots of coats for two

reasons. One, the grey primer showed through the paint

really easily, so i needed a lot of coats to get rid

of that. Second reason being it makes it stronger and

more chip resistant. Hope this helps."

Worked for him, and I think I might just try it. Well after I get my motor figured out, that is a bit more important than paint

[FRESHWATER PETIE]

I am a painter. I have used all kinds of finishes.

I am assuming there is still the original paint on the boat. You can skip the primer becouse you already have a base coat on.

Do a little sanding with 180 grit paper,just to scuff up the finish. then clean the surface well. Now your ready for Paint.

You can use any kind of enamal or acrylic enamal paint. If you have a air compressor and spray equipment that would be cool. A shaker can will work too..Just keep to spraying one area at a time to keep it wet.

That's about it! Just remember to keep yourself safe from fumes, wear a mask suitable for paint fumes or other personal protection.

[Fishin4Life]

Nope no paint. Never had it, came as a bare bones aluminum boat. Does this change your suggestion? Thanks

[DTro]

sorry to hijack your thread fishin

I only have the top half of my boat to paint and the original paint is there, but lots of scratches. I think I'll just paint over it.

What is the best way to remove the registration letter/decals?

[bigdog]

Remove decals by heating them with a hair dryer. Use WD-40 to remove any sticky residue.

[Fishin4Life]

No worries Dtro, I forgot that you had asked about painting your boat which does have paint. Sounds like you have a quick easy job ahead of you. I think I might just say oh well because the boat is old. We will see.

[vermilionfox]

Here's my two cents from years of paint experience in the aircraft industry. Power wash the hull thorougly. Then scrub the hull with scotch-brite pads until the hull is water break free (meaning when water from a hose is placed on the hull the water sheets off, and does not bead up). Usually a chromated primer is used on the bare surface, but I'm not sure that will be available to the home user. Check with your local auto paint store for their primer suggestion. Once the hull is primed and dry to the touch a topcoat can be applied. If the hull has to sit for more than a day after becoming dry to the touch, lightly scuff sand to re-activate the primer surface prior to application of the topcoat. Use of a two-part urethane system will get you years of use.

[Guest]

I was highly recommended by a paint shop to use galvanized primer for an aluminum boat in the past. The prep and primer is the most important if you want it to stick, and last.