Aluminum Jon Boat Paint

I just purchased. 14’ Valco Jon Boat. I already have an 8’ & 10’ Valco’s. The 8’ is set up nicely as a 1 person flyfishing pram. I am setting the 14’er up as a nice two person pram for flyfishing. I did a spray paint job that turned out well on the 8’er, but I wanted to know if others who have a “thin” tin boat have been using a paint that adheres better and can flex a bit with out paint chips popping off.
Also, the boat has been sitting outside for a while and has oxidation on the surface. Any products that I can spray on and hose off to brighten the aluminum? I would like to polish the horizontal ribs on the boat, and paint the rest of the gunnels white to match my truck. Looking for products to do a nice cosmetic overhaul of a aluminum jonboat.

I can't help you with your question about what paint to use, other than to say you don't need to paint it for any reason other than cosmetics.

I used Star Brite Aluminum Cleaner on my previous 15' boat. It does remove oxidation and brighten everything up considerably. However, the result was pretty uneven and kind of blotchy, IMO. I worked pretty hard at it but still suspect that my results could be user error. At the end, it looked OK, but I kind of wish I had just left it alone. Oxidized aluminum is kind of natural and looks normal really.

All just my opinion of course.

I have used vinegar to clean aluminum. Brushing it in helps it work. Much cheaper than toon-bright. If you just get the hard water deposits off it looks better right away.

People seem to struggle with boat paint selection. For boats that live on trailers and are in the water only when being used, many types of paint will work.
I have successfully used spray enamel in rattle cans, marine epoxy paint, and even enamel porch paint.
Use quality paint and do your prep work.
If you have a tin boat and land it on the beach, or travel on rocky rivers your paint will get some dings in it.
I like the idea of painting the topsides and leaving the part of the boat in the water galvanized al, and unpainted.
That is how my Jetcraft 19 came from the factory. I am going to change the gold strake to silver, so the scratches won't be so noticeable.

Good boats get used. It is easy to touch up the paint.
Don't worry about it. Get some good paint and get to work.

CedarRiverScooter said:

I have used vinegar to clean aluminum. Brushing it in helps it work. Much cheaper than toon-bright. If you just get the hard water deposits off it looks better right away.

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Curious -- do you dilute the vinegar in water then brush or swab it on? If yes, what ratio?

Thx.

Use it straight, the stronger the better (I hear apple cider vinegar is more acidic).

Apply it any way you want, I have used a pump windex sprayer, best to use gloves as it might sting after a while.

Try it underneath 1st, YMMV.

The "white" of aluminum is oxidation.

Aluminum oxidizes naturally. Aluminum oxide is HARD, it's what they make sandpaper out of. It also can't be welded as it's melting point is somewhere around 3600°F, where bare/clean aluminum is somewhere around 1200°F. That makes welding dirty aluminum tough, impossible actually. That's one reason it has to be cleaned so well.

And it oxidizes quickly. So yes you can clean it and it'll look new for a while, but over time it'll start to glaze over again.

Paint it. Paint is a lot easier to touch up than trying to keep bare aluminum looking good. There are paints made specifically for painting over bare aluminum although at this time I can't think of the names of them.

I once seen a guy POLISH a tin boat once. It was kinda cool to see it on the water, but boy was it bright. Also the polish is usually a compound of some sort of petroleum components which I don't know if you guys know it or not but petroleum...oil, gas, whatever, tends to work as a fish repellant. I know when I had my old 2 stroke, when there was a sheen on the water from the old leaky carburetors, I did not catch nearly the numbers as I did without the sheen.

I "know" a guy (or knew) who painted the BOTTOM of the hull to look like what a fish would see looking up as if there was no boat. Kinda like "fish camo". His numbers and quality were quite a bit higher than with just regular single color patternless paint like mine is but I can't say whether that was due to different fishing tactics or if it was due to the "camo". As I recall, it took some time to put the pattern and colors together. He's dead now and the boat went to scrap, thanks to his wife who hated him going fishing.

I've seen some ocean boats with bait fish painted (or decals) on the bottom (seen on the internet, not in person).

I have to admit some of the paint jobs I see here on TB look pretty darn good. But for me, I got an aluminum boat to avoid having to worry about keeping it shiny. Last thing I want to do it paint it. I do wash the fish blood & guts off occasionally, though I haven't had to worry much about this so far this year <sigh>.

I visit another forum about aluminum boats in the PNW. Those guys like wraps, diamond plate, hard tops and racks. They are always adding metal fabrication for things like bait stations and storage. Lots of fancy boats.

On a fishing boat I don't think all of that stuff matters much. The fish don't care and neither do I.

Over on Iboats the recommended is rustoleum or any oil based paint with a hardener mixed in.

ppine said:

I visit another forum about aluminum boats in the PNW. Those guys like wraps, diamond plate, hard tops and racks. They are always adding metal fabrication for things like bait stations and storage. Lots of fancy boats.

On a fishing boat I don't think all of that stuff matters much. The fish don't care and neither do I.

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I see some of those North River boats around here. Very nice boats but $$$$.

Troutfitter said:

I just purchased. 14’ Valco Jon Boat. I already have an 8’ & 10’ Valco’s. The 8’ is set up nicely as a 1 person flyfishing pram. I am setting the 14’er up as a nice two person pram for flyfishing. I did a spray paint job that turned out well on the 8’er, but I wanted to know if others who have a “thin” tin boat have been using a paint that adheres better and can flex a bit with out paint chips popping off.
Also, the boat has been sitting outside for a while and has oxidation on the surface. Any products that I can spray on and hose off to brighten the aluminum? I would like to polish the horizontal ribs on the boat, and paint the rest of the gunnels white to match my truck. Looking for products to do a nice cosmetic overhaul of a aluminum jonboat.

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I used Epiphanes mono-uethane. Very happy with results. Rolled it on with foam roller. Great website.

I don't want a boat to look like jewelry. Paint in a spray can really helps keep them looking good.

I remember I had a guy on my Jetcraft. We started to hammer some big rainbows, when the new guy got up to put his fish in the box, he was afraid of dripping slime and blood on the deck. "This is a fishing boat" I told him, "don't worry about it."