Paint Guide for Exterior of Boat

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Shoedawg

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 14, 2014
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Location
Mountain Home, Idaho
Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but I am having a difficult time understanding the steps and process of painting the exterior bottom of my boat. I have spent hours upon hours searching the forum, as well as other sites, and still don’t have a clear idea of how to properly do it. We need a painting guide on here, which I am willing to write up as I do my boat.


So I am going to beat that dead horse. This is what I am looking and wanting to do with my boat. Bear with me; I have a lot to ask.

Goals/Questions:

1. I would like a good “all around” protection for the bottom of the boat. I am in the military, and get stationed all around the U.S. I may be using the boat in rivers/lakes that are different from other parts of the country (i.e. mud flats, rocky rivers, stumpy lakes, vegetation, etc), so a good all-around protection is what I would like to see.

2. Steelfex/Gluv-it: I have read about these both, and I think my boat has no leaks, BUT I still need to do a “water leak test”. Do I really need Steelflex/Gluvit? I have read about the cons and pros. I am leaning AWAY from using it. Convince me otherwise.

3. I plan on using a HPLV sprayer. This will save me time. I don’t want a cheap one, but not an expensive one either. I have heard good things and some bad about Wagner. Plus I intend to use the sprayer for other projects. Any suggestions on what you use or own?

4. Primers. I know I need to use self-etching primer and have seen the suggestions. My question is do I lightly fog the first coat of primer, let it dry, then sand with a light grit, then wipe clean (with acetone/tack cloth)? What grit size? (320, or higher?) After the first coat do I apply a second light coat, and repeat the steps above?

5. Paint type. Oil or water based? What is the best for average usage for a boat that is used in freshwater only? Does it even matter?

6. Clear coat. Does a clear coat help protect the bottom paint on a boat from some minor scratching? I know there are Matte clear coats available from various manufactures. Do you guys suggest using a clear coat?

7. Steps for painting. I plan on stripping the entire exterior of the boat down to bare aluminum. I understand that a good prep job is the key for a good finish.

Is this the proper way to paint the exterior of the boat from start to finish?

1. Strip the old paint off with a chemical stripper
2. Wash/scrub/rinse the boat with soap and water.
3. Let dry
4. Use a degreaser (Simple Green) or Acetone and wipe the boat down
5. Scuff the boat up. What grit size is recommended to get good teeth marks to hold the primer?
6. After scuffing, Wash/scrub/rinse the boat with soap and water.
7. Let dry.
8. Wipe again with Simple Green/Acetone.
9. Use a Aluminum cleaner (Such as TSP) before applying first coat of primer
10. Rinse cleaner and allow to dry.
11. Apply first coat of primer. This would be a fog coat, very light.
12. Let dry.
13. Sand lightly the first coat of primer.
14. Wipe with acetone/tack cloth
15. Apply a second coat of primer.
16. Let Dry.
17. Sand again, lightly.
18. Wipe again.
19. Let Dry
20. Add a third coat of primer
21. Let dry (no more sanding after this)
22. Add the first coat of paint very lightly.
23. Let Dry
24. Sand lightly the first coat and repeat the procedure same as the Primer coat for the additional coats of paint.
25. After all coats of paint are done, add several coats of Matte clear coat to help protect the paint.

Sorry for the long post, but I need some clear suggestions and methods. If I can get enough input from everyone, that would be AWESOME-SAUCE! I want to write up a step-by-step painting guide (with pictures) to help others later on when they face this decision, while doing my boat.

Thanks in advance.
 
:lol: I know Johnny, right? I have looked on YouTube and some videos are Ok. Tons of information out there. Everybody's an expert :mrgreen: I am just very thorough, and want a decent job. Do it right the first time, or don't do it at all. Its been ingrained in me since I was a kid.
 
ohhhhh I wholeheartedly agree with your philosophy of a good job, I really do !!!

But, I spent 40 years working with engineers and architects - and they are so anal
about the specs it makes me want to puke !!! 7 years with Lockeed-Martin Aerospace was the WORST !!!
Boating is supposed to be FUN and RELAXING !!!

LOL but I am so sorry, I just can't get into the mindset of all the Mil.Specs you have addressed.
It makes my head hurt #-o
Yes, there are so many experts on painting. and, I am one of them.
Your post is new, give it some time, you will get some excellent advice !!!
 
Ohh man, funny you mention mil.specs. That's be ingrained in me too. I am in the Air Force (a fireman) and mil.specs are drilled into our heads all the time. Stuff like, whats the T.O.'s way of priming and running the pump? How much PSI is required for a 5 story building with the needed GPM's to reach a fire on the 4th floor. What AFI tells you how to clean a toilet? We even have to know aircraft shutdown procedures, their fuel and weapons capabilities and other specs. I am not a engineer, but the Air Force Fire Protection field wants us to be. #-o
 
I have no experience but I will be painting my boat in the next week or two.... I'm simply pressure washing, light sanding if needed ( any flaky spots), self etch primer and rolling on a decent grade exterior house paint. Same steps inside and out. I figure if that paint holds up on the side of a house in all the weather it'll be fine on a boat for a couple/three years.
 
Go to www.Iboats.com go to the restoration forum and look for any post by "Woodonglass"
At the bottom of his posts is a link to how to paint your boat for under $100.00.
This will answer all your questions.
 
Shoedawg said:
Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but I am having a difficult time understanding the steps and process of painting the exterior bottom of my boat. I have spent hours upon hours searching the forum, as well as other sites, and still don’t have a clear idea of how to properly do it. We need a painting guide on here, which I am willing to write up as I do my boat.


So I am going to beat that dead horse. This is what I am looking and wanting to do with my boat. Bear with me; I have a lot to ask.

Goals/Questions:

1. I would like a good “all around” protection for the bottom of the boat. I am in the military, and get stationed all around the U.S. I may be using the boat in rivers/lakes that are different from other parts of the country (i.e. mud flats, rocky rivers, stumpy lakes, vegetation, etc), so a good all-around protection is what I would like to see.

2. Steelfex/Gluv-it: I have read about these both, and I think my boat has no leaks, BUT I still need to do a “water leak test”. Do I really need Steelflex/Gluvit? I have read about the cons and pros. I am leaning AWAY from using it. Convince me otherwise.
I also planned to put steelflex or something similar on the bottom of my boat. I had zero leaks so just painted the bottom. Didn't really see the need unless I planned on jumping logs or something similar. I'm sure it also wouldn't have helped when I hit a rock at full throttle and tore a hole in the bottom of my hull. If anything, not having anything on the bottom made the weld repair easier to do.

3. I plan on using a HPLV sprayer. This will save me time. I don’t want a cheap one, but not an expensive one either. I have heard good things and some bad about Wagner. Plus I intend to use the sprayer for other projects. Any suggestions on what you use or own?
I used this Harbor Freight HPLV sprayer that my buddy bought. Works great.https://www.harborfreight.com/2-pc-professional-automotive-hvlp-air-spray-gun-kit-61472.html I"ve used it on a few other projects as well with no complaints.

4. Primers. I know I need to use self-etching primer and have seen the suggestions. My question is do I lightly fog the first coat of primer, let it dry, then sand with a light grit, then wipe clean (with acetone/tack cloth)? What grit size? (320, or higher?) After the first coat do I apply a second light coat, and repeat the steps above?
IIRC, I did 2 coats of self-etching primer after I sanded the entire boat to get rid of any chipping/peeling paint that was already on there. Any paint that did not come off with sanding I left. I only primed the spots that were bare aluminum. Once primed I did not sand but did wipe down with acetone before applying my top coat.

5. Paint type. Oil or water based? What is the best for average usage for a boat that is used in freshwater only? Does it even matter?
I am very happy with Parkers Duck Boat paint. I needed something that was flat and wouldn't shine causing my boat to stick out to ducks/geese. Parkers is also very durable and goes on great through an HVLP gun thinned out a bit.

6. Clear coat. Does a clear coat help protect the bottom paint on a boat from some minor scratching? I know there are Matte clear coats available from various manufactures. Do you guys suggest using a clear coat?
NO experience with clear coats.
7. Steps for painting. I plan on stripping the entire exterior of the boat down to bare aluminum. I understand that a good prep job is the key for a good finish.
Like I said before, you really don't have to strip the old paint. Just get off any paint that is chipping peeling and sand the rest. I would say that 75% of my boat still had the factory paint on after I sanded/prepped. Cannot tell any difference where I painted over the old paint. No issues with peeling/chipping in those spots either. I'd say save yourself the headache of completely stripping and just get off any old paint that is chipping/peeling. Prime all the bare spots, wipe down with acetone and then paint.

Is this the proper way to paint the exterior of the boat from start to finish?

1. Strip the old paint off with a chemical stripper
2. Wash/scrub/rinse the boat with soap and water.
3. Let dry
4. Use a degreaser (Simple Green) or Acetone and wipe the boat down
5. Scuff the boat up. What grit size is recommended to get good teeth marks to hold the primer?
6. After scuffing, Wash/scrub/rinse the boat with soap and water.
7. Let dry.
8. Wipe again with Simple Green/Acetone.
9. Use a Aluminum cleaner (Such as TSP) before applying first coat of primer
10. Rinse cleaner and allow to dry.
11. Apply first coat of primer. This would be a fog coat, very light.
12. Let dry.
13. Sand lightly the first coat of primer.
14. Wipe with acetone/tack cloth
15. Apply a second coat of primer.
16. Let Dry.
17. Sand again, lightly.
18. Wipe again.
19. Let Dry
20. Add a third coat of primer
21. Let dry (no more sanding after this)
22. Add the first coat of paint very lightly.
23. Let Dry
24. Sand lightly the first coat and repeat the procedure same as the Primer coat for the additional coats of paint.
25. After all coats of paint are done, add several coats of Matte clear coat to help protect the paint.

Honestly, I think your going a bit overboard. You'll get a great paint job/finish without completely stripping the boat and all that sanding in between coats of primer and top coat. Just not necessary, IMO.

Sorry for the long post, but I need some clear suggestions and methods. If I can get enough input from everyone, that would be AWESOME-SAUCE! I want to write up a step-by-step painting guide (with pictures) to help others later on when they face this decision, while doing my boat.

Thanks in advance.

Here is mine sanded and ready for primer. Used a palm sander and 220 grit paper to rough up the existing paint and smooth out all the bare aluminum spots.
IMAG0788_zps83d8a12a.jpg


Primed and ready for paint.
IMAG0789_zpsb2f3824c.jpg


IIRC, I did 2 maybe 3 top coats.
IMAG0790_zps51fde167.jpg


IMAG0791_zps16045f7d.jpg


Those aren't the best pictures, but you should get the idea. They were taken with my old phone that had a scratched up lens. Here are a few better ones.
IMAG0812_zps4654dd78.jpg


IMAG0813_zps4b19f0e3.jpg


IMAG0814_zps8cda4df5.jpg


Painted and then camo stenciled with Rustoleum camo spray paint.
IMAG0960_zps26415cda.jpg


IMAG0965_zpsae49b9a5.jpg
 
lckstckn2smknbrls said:
DaleH said:
lckstckn2smknbrls said:
Go to https://www.Iboats.com go to the restoration forum and look for any post by "Woodonglass"
At the bottom of his posts is a link to how to paint your boat for under $100.00.
This will answer all your questions.
Link to Page 16 = https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...1961-lonestar-flamingo-splashed-w-pics/page16
Thank you for adding the link. It's now titled "Paint your boat with tractor paint".


I read Woodonglass's post yesterday on iboats. It was informative, and deals with tractor paint. He also linked a "Steps to Prep Aluminum" which can been read here:
Alum Prep

Woodonglass's approach is as follows:

1. Strip Boat and Clean
2. Acid-Wash Boat
3. Self-Etch Primer
4. Rust Preventor (i.e Rustoleum Bare Metal Primer)
5. Sand with 220-320 grit
6. Wipe with 50/50 Mix Acetone/Mineral Spirits
7. Spray/Roll/Brush your paint of choice

He also discusses the use of adding a paint hardener. I am guessing it helps the paint cure faster, and gives it some protection, but does it make the paint glossy/shine more??
 
It's the same whether you are using tractor paint, implement paint or rustoleum. The Hardener will give a glossier, shinier finish.
 

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