camo over a good paint job

I recently purchased this boat and it has an excellent paint job on it. however, I want to use it for duck hunting also. so since the paint job is great, what do I need to do to paint olive green over it? and it is much cleaner now that I pressure washed it.

Scuff the paint with a scotch brite pad, self etching primer, primer and top coat. Rustoleum works great.

Hey, Mitt - - - I usually do just the opposite. Painting over a good camo job LOL.

Many good threads on this forum for just that issue. Use the "search" feature.

Question: How do you want to use your boat? Showroom slick and shiny condition
parked in the Gander Mountain parking lot to show off ??
or, an actual functioning hunting machine in the marsh with flat, dull paints ??
if it is the latter, just wash good with a degreaser and paint it.

and, :WELCOME: to Tin Boats.

read that primer thread on the home page it says self etching primers don't go over existing paint.

Acrylic Latex Aluminum Primer: Water based primer formulated for use on properly prepared aluminum and galvanized metal. This type of Primer is lead free and cleans up with soap and water. Once properly applied, provides a strong bond between the substrate and finish coatings. This is a very user friendly product making it unnecessary to remove all existing primers and paints as long as they are sound and not flaking. Once dry, this primer cannot be successfully sanded to a smooth finish. So if you envision a smooth glossy surface, select another primer that is sandable to achieve your desired finish. Carefully take into consideration the inherent properties of each primer and coating that you will be working with.

Barefoot_Johnny said:

Hey, Mitt - - - I usually do just the opposite. Painting over a good camo job LOL.

Many good threads on this forum for just that issue. Use the "search" feature.

Question: How do you want to use your boat? Showroom slick and shiny condition
parked in the Gander Mountain parking lot to show off ??
or, an actual functioning hunting machine in the marsh with flat, dull paints ??
if it is the latter, just wash good with a degreaser and paint it.

and, :WELCOME: to Tin Boats.
Please complete your profile when you have time.
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us give you more accurate information.

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I searched a bunch of the and most i found were painting an old boat or one with bare metal. this one has a great paint job. white and blue just won't work for it in dual mode. lol

if someone could recommend a good paint and maybe something to spray on first so the paint will stick to the existing paint. or should i wipe with acetone and then just spray the new paint?

and I am from Baton Rouge and hunt deer and ducks in SW Mississippi.

AMK and Mutt


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What the heck is that deck made out of - 1x2s?

"something to spray on first so the paint will stick to the existing paint"
is called PRIMER.

You have a few choices:
(1) scuff up the existing paint to give it some "tooth" for the primer to stick to.
then, spray, roll or brush on your camo paint.

(2) scuff up the existing paint to give it some "tooth" for the camo paint to stick to. (no primer).

(3) Just clean with degreaser (soap), let dry, paint with your camo paint. No need for acetone
or other hot solvents. IMO, hot solvents should only be used on bare metals. Not paint.

There are several very good quality camo paints on the market. Latex and solvent based as well
as the rattle spray cans.

(4) Buy some of that camo vinyl wrap material and wrap your boat yourself. It will stick very
well to the existing paint and will look FABULOUS !!!!
AND, the vinyl wrap can be removed in a couple of years or so if you change your mind on the design.

What I did with my 1996 Tracker that still had a lot of the factory paint was pressure wash the crap out if it to get it initially cleaned (it was pretty grimy when I bought it). Then I went over all the chipping paint and bare spots with 220 grit sandpaper. I also lightly sanded the rest of the hull to give the new paint something to grip onto. I then hit all the bare spots with self etching primer and then wiped the entire hull down with acetone to remove any dirt/grease/debris right before painting. I used an HVLP sprayer to apply my paint and it worked great. I did my hull in 2 steps. First, I flipped it over onto some saw horses and did the outside of the hull. Let it dry/cure for a few days in the summer sun and then put in back on the trailer. Once I got the inside of the hull ready (by doing the same sanding/priming/acetone wipe) and all my modifications done I hit it with the HVLP gun. Everything turned out nicely and, IMO, because of the extra prep work the paint has held up much better than just painting over top of the existing paint.

For a duck boat, I recommend Parkers Duck Boat paint. It is super flat and extremely durable. Has held up very well in the 3 years it's been on my boat and all the hell I put it through.

Before




Pressure wash and sanded


Primed, acetone wiped and ready for paint


After base coat




After stenciling. I'd reccommend making your own simple stencils, or getting something online. I bought mine from Ambush Design Stencils for like $20, IIRC. You could easily make your own though. I used Rustoleum camo paint in the spray cans for the stenciling.



For the way we hunt, which is running to various islands on the local river to hunt on and then tucking the boat against the bank somewhere, the combination of Parkers in sand tan as a base coat and then Rustoleum camo black and brown for the stenciling works great. My boat almost disappears when tucked into the back. Especially in the fall/winter once all the green is gone.

nice job Bigterp! thanks for the advice too.

Captain Ahab said:

AMK and Mutt


Please complete your profile when you have time.
Knowing what part of the country you hail from helps
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What the heck is that deck made out of - 1x2s?

Click to expand...

Capt' I have updated my profile. working on that avatar size though. lol

the deck is extended and it's all aluminum.