What paint to use?

I just found this site and its great. Questine about paint. What kind of paint or what processes need to be followed to make paint stick to allum.

Ive also been looking at all the mods, thats what drew me here, some great looking rigs; getting lots of ideas for my near future flooring project.

I just used regular spray paint, but my hull already had marine paint on it. I'm not sure it you are painting a bare hull. Here is my boat. The paint has gotten chipped from me running into things, luckily I can just spray over it and its good!

Mine is factory drab green paint, except for the scratchs. Might not paint it, but if Im going to do a bunch of mods, why not new paint.

Nice rig! What color would you paint it if you were going to?

sccamper said:

I just found this site and its great. Questine about paint. What kind of paint or what processes need to be followed to make paint stick to allum.

Ive also been looking at all the mods, thats what drew me here, some great looking rigs; getting lots of ideas for my near future flooring project.

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I can't help you with the paint, But I did want to Welcome you to Tinboats.

Thanks for joining. You got an awesome Rig right there!

Jim

I am doing a complete mod of my 14' alumacraft. I am in the process painting right now. Mine is bare aluminum so it needs to be primed with a self etching primer. I will post some pics this evening. Anyway a good quality exterior paint will work fine I used it on my jon boat and it has held up great for 4 years. The self etching primer is key on bare aluminum, but if you are painting over previously painted surface you don't need it. On my jon it was painted before, but was chipping in places and was severely stained from being submerged in a lake for a long period of time so I stripped all the old paint, primed and painted.

Good advice there Joe - a proper surface is always the key to a good paint job.

Don't know if it's still available, but in the Navy we used to prime properly prepped aluminum with Zinc Chromate (came in 12oz aerosol cans).

If you choose to spray it, look for a single stage automotive paint, you'll have to go to a paint store to get it. This stuff is a single process, and about the easiest to do.

As was said before, proper prep is the key, on your boat now, wash it well with soap and water, then scuff the paint, can use a red scotch brite pad or 300-440 grit sandpaper, then rub it all down using grease and wax removed, then wipe it down with either a lint free cloth, or a tack rag.

If a paint store isn't available, most chain auto parts stores carry a new line of Duplicolor paint called Paint Shop, it's a 3 part system, and it comes in quarts, each quart is $20. First, do your prep, then spray the primer, then color, then clear. This will be a more durable system, but more work as well!

With all of it, mind the overspray, and please purchase and wear an appropriate respirator. They are expensive, but if you're gonna cheap out, don't do it on yourself!

Thinking about painting it red to match my truck. Will use single stage automotive paint. Since the boat is already painted, can I scuff, clean and spray or do I still need to prime with self etching primer? Will the new paint last like the factory paint or will it flake in a couple years?

Its not worth painting if it will look like trash in a few years.

Just clean and scuff, then spray.

Single stage paint is pretty durable, but not much is gonna stop it from getting scratched up loading/unloading, bumping into things, etc. A clearcoat will help a lot, if you go the base/clear system, but none of it is gonna be bulletproof.

Id like too see how this turns out, my boat which is in need of new..well everything, is prob about the same dull green color, and thats something i would like to change. Let us know how it turns out.

Im kind of torn right now. I will have to paint it outside and its not warm enough to do so yet. By the time it is warm enough, it will be time to spend all extra time on the water. Im ready to do the floor now, but also know if Im going to paint, do it before the floor and carpet.

Thanks guys - really good stuff about boat painting here. Keep the ideas coming

sccamper said:

Im kind of torn right now. I will have to paint it outside and its not warm enough to do so yet. By the time it is warm enough, it will be time to spend all extra time on the water. Im ready to do the floor now, but also know if Im going to paint, do it before the floor and carpet.

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EXACTLY! I would say don't worry about the color. Do the things you can to make it more fishable. My boat isn't exactly the prettiest thing in the world, but that isn't high on my priority list. I would rather concentrate on the things that are going to help me catch fish not glances from other fisherman. I guess you have to look at what you want from your boat. If it has to look good...paint it is!

One thing you could do if you are going to paint the thing when it gets warmer, make the floor boards now, get the bracing measured, cut, and ready to go; even carpet the wood for the flooring read to drop in then wait till warmer weather and paint the thing. Then it would be a simple task to drop the deck on and roll. You could even design a drop in deck of sorts that is already finished. You have the time now to plan and design, might as well use it.

Me... I wouldn't paint it, but that is just me.