Painting aluminum boat

[wh500special 2,053]

You guys seem to have such a wide breadth of knowledge I thought I'd ask this question on this forum...

I'd like to freshen up the exterior paint on a 20 year old Lund boat. It's spent it's entire life outside and largely in the water since it previously was a rental boat at a fishing resort. Lund used a pretty good paint on these, so what wasn't rubbed off by the docks, rocks, and whatnot is in pretty good shape. But there's a lot of dock rash.

Aluminum is hard to stick to, long-term. So leaving what I can of the factory finish is probably a good idea. So the plan is to scuff things up, feather what I can, wipe down, and prime with zinc chromate primer. Then, paint with urethane.

Anyway, I have been hand scuffing this thing with scotchbrite pads and it seems to really be just the ticket. I'd like to use a random orbit sander with the same type of pad to speed things up. There are tons of rivets on a Lund, so sanding with normal sandpaper and pads on a ro is cumbersome at best.

The scotchbrite pads are quite pricey...so I don't want to head down that path if it's a dumb idea.

So, what am I asking?

1. Does this seem a reasonable approach?

2. Anybody ever use the scotchbrite pads on a ro sander?

Stripping the paint completely is an option, but not what I'd like to do. This is a fishing boat, so I'm not looking for a concours finish. But the thing looks really bad as it sits.

Thanks for any suggestions,

Steve

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

Steve,

I have been recently doing research on metal flake paint for refinishing a bass boat and ran across this

http://forums.iboats...ad.php?t=457159

apparently etching primer is the key.

I have taken to using the green Duplicolor etching primer and Eastwood black etch primer on all bare metal surfaces. Last winter, I stored a few parts coated with the etch primer next to parts covered in rustoleum primer. The Duplicolor parts did not show any evidence of rust after 1 year in a damp garage - the rustoleum covered parts DID !

I'm not sure the Duplicolor or Eastwood primer is waterproof. PPG has a waterproof "wash primer" I'm looking into. That might be your ticket.

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,040]

I recently repainted my older 12 foot duranautic. I cleaned it really good, then used white wall cleaner and scotchbrite. I ended up buying an acrylic enamel (automotive) paint. I also used rusto gloss black on the bottom. I do not keep the boat in the water rather on a trailer. It came out pretty good. I sprayed it. Only did a clean up job, not a show boat.

3.bmp

[stevasaurus 22,229]

Hi Steve...along with Stevebo's boat, which is a calendar shot, I think KenB did one also. Maybe he will see this thread.

I think the Scotch-brite pads will work on the orbital sander...in the Navy we used them on floor buffers to strip wax on tile floors. :)

[Ken B 3,116]

If the scotch brite pads are working for you then roll with it. I generally use 220 grit paper on an orbital sander. The last boat I restored I decided that I would try paint stripper on it. The boats original paint was totally trashed and just butt ugly. The stripper took everything off and there were no nasty side effects. I cleaned it real well with soap and water. I didn't paint this boat, I polished it out to a mirror shine.

If I recall Lund boats aren't painted on the bottom, which is good. I don't use Zinc Chromate paint when I'm priming an aluminum boat. It is nasty stuff. I use Duplicolor green self etching paint like SOI recommended, its good stuff but its nasty enough also. The Rustoleum brand self etching paint is garbage. If the bottom of your boat isn't painted I wouldn't paint it.

[wh500special 2,053]

Thanks guys.

Those are some pretty sweet little boats guys. The polished look is REALLY slick!

I fooled around a bit more with it Friday, and the paint might end up coming off entirely with stripper. I was tentatively wanting to avoid the stripper since I was concerned it might migrate into a seam or behind a rivet head, but the more I think about it if it gets IN a crevice, it OUGHT to come OUT. But we'll see. I have a leftover can of methylene chloride at work that we need to dispose of anyway...

In case anyone is interested, I shopped around a bit for Scotchbrite discs for a 5" sander and they seem to be in the $3+ range. EACH. This is, of course, hook and loop (velcro) type. Surprisingly, the German tool maker Festool offers their "Vlies" discs at a better deal. They sell e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e products, but they make really nice stuff with amazing dust collection ability. You could probably run a router and sander in your wife's living room and not leave a speck of dust on the coffee table. If you want to be amazed at their tool pricing, go to www.festoolusa.com Before you pass judgement on their pricing structure, keep in mind that you're reading a forum that concerns itself with collecting tractors were were priced in the upper crust when they were new.

Since the boat has spent so much time in the water and has never been inside, there is a pretty fair coating of dull oxidation on the exposed aluminum. I don't need to clean it up, but probably will since I have it off the trailer and upside down already.

Chuck, I saw your bassboat thread elsewhere, but forgot about it. I was assuming then that you were doing a glass boat with the metalflake. Didn't think about a tin boat with that finish.

Lund leaves most of their boat bottoms unpainted, and I plan to leave this one that way. The freeboard on this boat was red, and since that's what the title says I'll probably use that as the replacement finish. I don't want to put a huge amount of time into it since the boat has a pretty fair share of dents and other "whoops" scars from renters in its past. Overdoing the paint job won't pay off.

I had no intentions of repainting the interior, but most of the original anti-glare gray vinyl fleck was worn off the floor. I'm thinking if I find a cheap, light gray rubberized/rhino type of coating I might experiment a bit...iff it can be applied in a thin coat. I don't think I'll be adding a flat floor since I'd rather not add the weight.

This boat isn't a classic by any means. It's simply a 1991 Lund S-16. A 16-footer with no floor, carpet, or extras. Just four bench seats across the hull. They are legendary for being tough suckers and are pretty much standard issue for fishing resorts in the northern states and Canada. There's probably millions of them just like this one out there. I added it to the fleet since our old Jon boat has a horrible recurring crack in the hull and my other boat has a bigger engine and keeps me off of some horsepower restricted lakes I really like to fish. The trailer and 25-hp Johnson from it are to be transferred over.

And I have lots of wonderful memories of bouncing around the waves on fishing trips in one of these things sitting in a blue cloud of 2-stroke exhaust trolling...

Huh, maybe it IS a classic.

Thanks,

Steve

[Ken B 3,116]

Keep us informed as you go along, I agree, Lunds are without a doubt the best quality made boats out there. The price of a new one reflects that!