Painting a duck boat

[northernsportman]

what would be the steps of painting a boat? i want to camo my boat for duck hunting... i still have the old paint on. any other things that would help me have some success this season is welcome also! thanks

[Steve Bakken]

Considering the fact that it's gonna be a duck boat, I imagine you're more concerned about function than looking pretty for all the ducks. A few basic rules here:

1. At bare minimum you will need to abrade or scuff the entire surface. You can do the majority of it with a power sander, but you'll need to get all the nooks and crannys by hand. 3M makes a red "scuff pad" that works great for this.

2. Of course, tape off everything you don't want pained. Don't skimp on the tape. the cheap stuff will come back off in little tiny strips and leave a residue.

3. buy a small can of "wax and grease" remover from your local auto body supplier. There are always contaminants on the surface. You want the surface 100% clean or your paint will get big "fisheyes", bubbles and other funky defects in it.

[northernsportman]

thanks, its going to be an all purpose boat. i want it to look as best as it can and take my time and do a good job so that the paint will last a long time. i am thinking of the spray painting kit in cabela's. My friend and I are going to do both our boats so we want to do them right the first time.

[MuskieJunkie]

I like the thread.

What about paint and primer options? I have painted/touched up my duck boat probably 2 or 3 times over the years and the paint always ends up flaking and rubbing off (I have not been doing proper preperation).

With proper prep would rattlel can primer and paint last a long time?

[Tom7227]

I went to a real paint store and asked the questions. They sold me some type of primer that you put on after you've sanded and cleaned the surface. It has lasted years when I used it, not so much the time I didn't.

I used a can and a brush to put on the base coat, the sort of dull tan/brown. Then I took a smaller brush, 1 inch or so, and put a lot of random lines over the base coat. I used black, gray, brown and green. If you look at the new patters they don't have the rounded shapes any more. When I wanted that I cut out templates from old file folders and used spray paint. I like the solid line method better.

I failed to put something decent down on the bottom of the boat to prevent slipping. I was wondering if you could use some of the spray bed liner material to get a rougher surface and then paint over it. I have a 14 foot rowboat without any fancy floor and it can get a bit slippery. I wish now that I had done something to solve that problem. I tossed sand onto the paint when it was wet but that just rubbed off as soon as you stepped on it.

You'll get a lot of advice to spray paint the boat and if you have access to a compressor and sprayer it may be a good option.

[Tom7227]

Old thread is here:

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1277247/fpart/1

[northernsportman]

thanks tom, i went through and tried to find it but i must have passed over it. where would you get that primer? is there any brands out there and how expensive is it? do u have to get all the paint off?

[DTro]

You could take a look at what I did. Maybe not the greatest or the right way, but it was pretty easy, and it's held up so far:

Paint Job

[Steve Bakken]

The kind of primer we use at the shop is a 2 part epoxy. This primer will chemically etch itself into the bare metal, and when cured will be locked into the metal itself. This primer will also isolate any possibilities of the old paint swelling up and making "bullseyes" as you put on your topcoat. Yes, there are good, better, and best brands, but if you go to a body shop supplier and tell them your plans and your budget, they can usually set you up pretty well.

[northernsportman]

dtro, ur boat looks great! thank you steve and everyone for your help. Is there a name for this epoxy? what kinds of paint do you use in the shop, steve?

[Steve Bakken]

We use the DuPont system. Each brand has their own "name" for their epoxy, but it's still epoxy primer. It's the most commonly used primer/sealer in the industry. If you go into a body shop supplier and ask for an epoxy primer, anyone worth buying from should know exactly what your talking about. If they don't, don't buy there 'cause they're not gonna be able to help walk you through the process.

[Tom7227]

The stuff I used wasn't an epoxy. I can't remember the name but I am reasonably sure that you could get such a product from a paint store - not a big box - a real paint store that the guys with the white coveralls use. Don't know where NorthernSportman is located but you should be able to score. I'm down looking at Sand Hill cranes along the Platte so I can't be any more help.

[northernsportman]

i am in the grand rapids area if it helps any.